Though No. 4 USC men’s volleyball entered the weekend having swept six straight matches, approaching a school record with 18 consecutive sets won, the Trojans were hungry for more; the bitter taste of back-to-back losses to crosstown rival No. 1 UCLA still lingered. 

After a two-game series against No. 14 Stanford, USC left Galen Center with a new record, an eighth straight victory and something far more valuable: proof that it knows how to battle back.

The Trojans (16-3, 8-2 MPSF) swept the Cardinal (9-12, 6-4) in straight sets Friday night, 25-14, 25-21, 25-22, before returning Saturday to claim a four-set decision, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17. The two wins pushed USC to 16-3 overall and 8-2 in MPSF play, but the numbers only tell part of the story.

Friday sweep pushes Trojans into record territory

Friday’s straight-set victory pushed the Trojans’ streak to 21 consecutive sets won, tying a program record set in 1991. 

Senior outside hitter Dillon Klein led all players with 19 points on 15 kills and a .478 hitting percentage, adding three service aces, a solo block and four digs. Friday marked the 76th time in 95 career matches that Klein has reached double-digit kills. 

Freshman opposite hitter Cooper Keane tallied 13 kills on .429 hitting, falling just one kill shy of his career high, while sophomore outside hitter Sterling Foley contributed seven kills and four blocks.

“I’m really thrilled — anytime you beat anybody in MPSF, that’s a real nice night of volleyball,” Head Coach Jeff Nygaard said in a postgame news conference Friday. “I felt like we came out on fire, and of course, they pushed back. That’s just the nature of MPSF. But I really liked seeing our team be resilient and be flexible and make some adjustments.”

The Trojans hit .388 as a team, their 15th match above .300 this spring, while holding Stanford to .178. The opening set was especially strong for USC, which racked up 13 kills on 18 attacks without an error to hit .722, with Klein delivering five kills and Keane four. Nygaard pointed to serving as a key differentiator.

“I liked how much service pressure we had and how many runs the guys had,” Nygaard said. “Dillon starting off in game one with a massive serve run — that’s been a point of emphasis, just more service pressure.”

When asked about the Trojans’ seven straight wins and 21 consecutive sets taken. Nygaard retained his “next up” mentality. He said his parents had texted him about the streak, and he wrote back asking what they were talking about. Nygaard said he wasn’t interested in streaks or records; he wanted his team locked in, present, winning point after point.

Keane said he didn’t know about the 21-set streak until after the whistle. To him, Keane said the run wasn’t a burden or a cushion: It was a test.

“I think this will be a good test to show how we don’t get complacent,” Keane said. “We’re going to keep pushing and not let this stop us from getting better.” 

Trojans show ‘resilience’ after streak ends

Saturday’s rematch provided that test immediately. USC claimed its 22nd consecutive set victory with a 25-21 win to open the match, breaking the University’s record. But Stanford answered in the second set, snapping the streak with a 25-23 victory after the Trojans trailed by as many as nine points.

The way Nygaard’s squad responded defined their entire weekend.

“We just had a conversation about how it was great to feel that challenge and be punished and just to showcase resilience,” Nygaard said in a postgame news conference Saturday. “The snapshot was we were down 15-6, and we just kept going, which was fantastic. And from that point on, we didn’t take our foot off the gas pedal.”

Klein dominated in the second set, delivering 10 kills on 10 attacks and adding four digs. He finished the match with a game-high 24.5 points on 20 kills and a .667 hitting percentage, his 13th time recording 20 or more kills. However, Klein had plenty of help from junior setter Caleb Blanchette, who posted his third double-double of the season with 41 assists and 11 digs, setting the table for a USC offense that hit .354.

The Trojans never trailed in the third set, hitting .500 in a 25-16 win, and closed out the match with a 25-17 fourth set in which they hit .579. Much of their late production came via junior middle blocker Thiago Zamprogno, who delivered eight kills on .889 hitting in just two and a half sets after coming in as a substitute. 

“I know what Thiago does in that space,” Nygaard said. “His decision-making was crisp. He was clean. And his communication with Dillon — the moment we made that change, [Stanford’s] strategy went away.”

Klein’s approach is refreshingly uncomplicated. When asked what makes him so successful at the net, Klein kept it simple.

“I hit it pretty hard,” Klein said. “I would like to lower the number of service errors I make, but if I’m going to hit it, there’s definitely a chance it goes out or on the net, and I’m not too worried about it.” 

Nygaard said he sees Klein’s fearlessness at the net as a weapon.

“It’s risk versus reward,” Nygaard said. “It’s value added to have one more weapon in the arsenal. His development has been fantastic.”

The Trojans are now set to leave California for the first time this spring, heading to No. 10 BYU (19-8, 6-4) for a two-match series. Nygaard said he views the trip as essential preparation for the postseason.

“We know there’s going to be quite a few away games the rest of the season,” Nygaard said. “This couldn’t be a better opportunity to get that trip under our belt so that when we go back again for the MPSF tournament, we’re already well greased and ready to go.”

USC will open its penultimate regular-season series Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a rematch Saturday at 7 p.m, with both matches in Provo, Utah, at Smith Fieldhouse.