Ten matches into the season, women’s volleyball has faced several ups and downs. USC has earned six wins — only one of which came against a ranked team — and four losses, with only two sets won across those matches. Now, the Trojans head to the Midwest to face Northwestern and begin conference play at last. 

A three-match homestand over the weekend encapsulated what the season has looked like for No. 23 USC (6-4) so far — two wins and a crushing sweep in between. The Trojans beat UC Davis (4-7) in a 3-1 match Friday, lost to Pepperdine University (8-3) in a sweep Saturday and in turn swept UC Santa Barbara (4-7) on Sunday. 

This inconsistency has translated to a broader seasonal trend of USC being unable to go on a winning streak longer than two matches. Coming out of a weekend where, in the two matches they won, they only lost one set, and also hit a season-low .000 in their loss, the Trojans will head to Northwestern (7-4) looking to build consistency on the court in their first match against a Big Ten team. 

A versatile Trojan offense 

USC’s multi-pronged attack was on full display over the weekend with three different hitters leading the team in each match. Redshirt senior outside hitter Adonia Faumuina led the way in scoring for the Trojans against the Aggies with 14 kills. Sitting third on the team in both kills and kills per set, Faumuina has continued to be a pillar of USC’s offense. 

In Saturday night’s loss, redshirt junior outside hitter London Wijay — the Trojans’ season-kills leader — spearheaded the Trojan offense with 9 kills, bringing her total to 98 on the year. 

Meanwhile, sophomore opposite hitter Abigail Mullen led the way with 13 kills Sunday against the Gauchos after only playing in one set over the previous two matches. Mullen leads the Trojans in kills per set with 3.39, placing her fifteenth overall in the Big Ten. 

Both Wijay and  junior middle blocker Mia Tvrdy have played in every match this year, something Head Coach Brad Keller has praised them for. 

“It’s a lot of volume,” Keller said in a postgame press conference Sunday. “They held down the fort as we went through some ups and downs.”

The Trojans will need to put their offense into overdrive as they begin conference play. USC currently sits second to last in kills and last in kills per set among Big Ten teams, a major step back after finishing seventh and fourth in those categories, respectively in 2025. The Trojans also currently hold the lowest hitting percentage in the Big Ten at 0.19. 

However, USC’s offense saw some changes over the weekend. Though junior setter Lilli Etter has orchestrated the Trojan offense all year, USC’s last two games were a group effort between Etter and freshman setter Milly McGee. McGee was more involved in directing the Trojan offense throughout the weekend, recording 11 assists against Pepperdine and 13 against UC Santa Barbara, a season-high performance for her. 

The ability to move dynamic players around is something that Keller expects from his lineup. 

“We’ve been mixing and matching quite a bit over the course of the spring, and then also a couple of matches before the non-conference started,” Keller said. “I expect if you come to this institution, you better be contributing or pushing the lineup in any way, shape or form.”

A tough Trojan defense 

At the net, the Trojans have seen more success. Led by Tvrdy, who has racked up 53 blocks throughout the season, USC leads Big Ten teams with 3.04 blocks per set. Tvrdy had a career-high 16 blocks against UC Santa Barbara, earning her Big Ten Player of the Week. Tvrdy also matched the Big Ten record for most blocks in a match in the rally-scoring era. 

Meanwhile, Northwestern is coming off two wins and is looking to extend its winning streak. The Wildcats will face their toughest opponent of the season thus far, with USC serving as their first ranked opponent. However, Northwestern has been able to protect its home court so far this season, with only one loss at home. 

The Wildcats’ offense is led by junior outside hitter Mara Štiglic, a Utah State (1-9) transfer who has racked up 155 kills and 3.88 kills per set, placing her second and fifth in those categories in the Big Ten. 

Meanwhile, Northwestern has not fared as well as the Trojans have at the net, coming in last in blocks per set among Big Ten teams with 1.74 blocks. 

Meetings between these two programs have been sparse in the past, but the Trojans have the upper hand as they currently boast a 3-0 record against the Wildcats. The last time these two teams faced each other in 2025, USC came away with a 3-1 victory, in which Wijay had a match-leading 22 kills. 

The Trojans are set to face Northwestern on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.