In its first road trip outside of California this season, No. 4 USC went to Provo looking to extend its winning streak to nine games. However, that proved to be a difficult task as No. 10 BYU put the Trojans behind early, and ultimately took Friday night’s match 3-1. 

After four straight matches won against BYU (20-9, 7-5), the Trojans (17-4, 9-3) found their streak snapped, while the Cougars won their first game against a top-five team of the season. 

Despite early struggles, USC redeemed itself the following night in a hard-earned five-set back-and-forth match. 

Trojans down in Provo on Friday

A 23-25 first-set loss set the tone for the rest of USC’s Friday night. The Trojans’ four attack errors on seven kills in the set established BYU’s offense early on, while the Cougars had 16 kills. 

The second set played out much differently as USC beat BYU 25-20. While the Trojans improved offensively, racking up 12 kills, it was still an unusually ineffective set, hitting just 0.158. USC ended the match with a .202 hitting percentage, its lowest of the season. 

While defense defined the second set, each team’s offense ruled the third set. The intensely contested set featured 19 ties as both teams hit above .400. 

Despite reaching a set point first in the third set, the Trojans were on the back foot. Ultimately, on its fifth set point, the Cougars took the set 30-28. 

USC’s inability to keep up with BYU carried into the fourth set as the Cougars continued their offensive display, putting up 13 kills. USC was unable to get anything going during the set, with a .000 hitting percentage.

BYU’s strong offensive showing was led by sophomore outside hitter Connor Oldani’s 18 kills. Despite having his second-worst hitting performance of the season, USC’s leading scorer, senior outside hitter Dillon Klein — recently named a semifinalist for the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Player of the Year — had a strong showing with 16 kills, the only Trojan to reach double-digit kills. 

Saturday night comeback 

On a night where the Trojans were searching for redemption, the Cougars were intent on making sure they didn’t find it. The first set of Saturday night’s rematch put USC behind once again as BYU took the set 25-19. 

The Cougars never trailed in the first set, as senior outside hitter Trent Moser and freshman outside hitter Trevor Herget shined for BYU, combining for six kills. On the other hand, USC’s only point run in the set was a 3-point run that came by way of two BYU errors and a service ace. USC’s six service errors in the first set also hindered any momentum. 

The Trojans’ service line woes continued in the second set with seven service errors. However, the Trojans matched the Cougars offensively, led by five kills from Klein. USC put up 15 kills on a .440 rate, including the final kill by freshman outside hitter Cooper Keane, which won the set 29-27. 

A rough 25-18 third set loss for the Trojans was defined by another offensive outmatch. USC hit just .194 while BYU hit .500, dominating another set for the Cougars. However, it wasn’t all bad news for USC: The Trojans had just one service error and recorded no more after the third set.

Head Coach Jeff Nygaard described his team’s efforts to settle down after a difficult first two sets as the turning point for the Trojans, allowing them to play a cleaner match the rest of the match. 

“We like to say, ‘Get out of your head and into your body,’” Nygaard said in a postgame press conference. “They just started playing.” 

Factoring into USC’s ability to find a rhythm offensively was redshirt junior outside hitter Noah Roberts. After coming into the match in the second set and not playing the previous night, Roberts exploded for 6 kills in the fourth set, leading the Trojans to a 25-21 win. USC played its best set of the night in the fourth, with 17 kills on a .448 hitting percentage. 

“I get the benefit of seeing [Roberts] just working hard and competing all day in the gym,” Nygaard said. “I don’t think it’s a surprise to see him come out and do what he did, but it’s still great that he did.”

While the Trojans jumped to an early 7-3 start in the fifth set, aided by a block, a kill and a service ace by Roberts, the Cougars clawed back to make it a 10-10 set. 

Ultimately, it was BYU’s mistakes that cost them the match. Three straight unforced errors put BYU at a disadvantage, eventually sealing the set at 15-12 for USC. 

Despite the challenging weekend the Trojans faced, Nygaard looked at the positives of playing BYU at home. 

“It’s the perfect opportunity for us to gain experience going into the MPSF Tournament, playing here,” Nygaard said. 

Before the tournament begins, the Trojans will close out their season against No. 5 Pepperdine (20-5, 11-1) in a home-and-home pair of matches, with the first on Thursday at 7 p.m at Galen Center.