After a three-match home slate last weekend, USC women’s volleyball followed it up with three more matches at home to try and claim another set of victories at Galen Center. 

Similar results followed for the No. 23 Trojans (6-4), as they won two of their three matches over the weekend. USC started with a 3-1 win over UC Davis (4-7) before suffering a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Pepperdine University (8-3), but recovered with a sweep against UC Santa Barbara (4-7). 

As the Trojans head into their Big Ten schedule, a winning nonconference record is a good sign for a young squad hoping to head back to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year.

Four-set victory on Friday

The Trojans were off to an intense start Friday night, winning the first two sets 25-16, 26-24, in large part thanks to effective kills from redshirt senior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina. 

Faumuina continued her hot streak of scoring, burying 14 kills against UC Davis, her highest single-game count of the season so far. Through USC’s first 10 games, Faumuina has recorded 67 kills, the third-highest total on the team. 

Throughout the match, junior setter Lilli Etter proved her tenacity on the court, providing 39 assists and 16 digs. 

Another notable player was junior middle blocker Mia Tvrdy, who put away 10 kills and four blocks, making it even harder for the Aggies to score. 

After UC Davis took a grueling third set 32-30, the Trojans came back in the fourth set to win the match and send the Aggies home.

Waves take hold of USC, deliver crushing defeat

Following their victory against the Aggies, the Trojans went up against Pepperdine, hoping to maintain momentum despite the Waves’ early-season success. 

However, Pepperdine took the early lead, widening the point gap throughout the first set and forcing the Trojans to play a game of catch-up, which they were not able to see through. 

A crushing 25-12 defeat in the first set was followed by 25-20 and 25-17 losses in the ensuing sets, respectively, in what turned out to be a disastrous match for USC.

In spite of the final score, the Trojans were still able to put away points with the help of redshirt junior outside hitter London Wijay. Wijay delivered nine kills and one service ace, scoring 10 points across three sets. 

“London [Wijay] has played in every single match,” Head Coach Brad Keller said in a postgame news conference Sunday. “She’s getting tired, but [she’s] able to be consistent for us right now and a little bit of an anchor.” 

Another player with a standout performance was sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Deckert. Deckert totaled 13 digs and one assist, allowing the Trojans to maintain their defense during a challenging match. 

USC bounces back against the Gauchos 

With one match left in their weekend, the Trojans were determined to make a comeback after their previous defeat to Pepperdine. USC completely turned the tide, delivering a staggering 25-11, 29-27, 25-23 victory against UC Santa Barbara. 

The Trojans took an early lead in the first set, largely thanks to freshman outside hitter Riley Malloy. Malloy buried three service aces in the first set alone, helping the team win in dominant fashion. 

The second and third sets were incredibly close, with the  match being tied a combined 26 times. However, both times, the Trojans rose to the occasion and proved victorious, leading to a 3-0 sweep. 

Freshman setter Milly McGee completely set the tone for the latter half of the match. McGee performed 13 assists against the Gauchos, her season record so far, proving to be an integral force in the second and third sets. 

Sophomore opposite hitter Abigail Mullen served 13 kills, bringing her total kill count up to 95 for 2026. 

USC looks ahead to the start of Big Ten conference play later this week, with back-to-back road matches against Northwestern (7-4) on Thursday and Illinois (8-3) on Saturday. 

“If you come to the school, you are competing for titles,” Keller said. “I think we’re battle-tested. … We expect to win or to challenge at the highest level, and I will never deviate from that in any way, shape or form.”

The Trojans will take on the Wildcats Thursday at 5 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.