USC Women's Volleyball Takes on Princeton in NCAA First-Round Contest

Thursday, December 4

Los Angeles, Calif.

5:00 p.m. PT

USC

[5] BYU vs. Cal Poly

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USC women's volleyball middle blocker Mia Tvrdy goes up to hit a ball in a match at Galen Center

Photo by: Cary Qian

USC Women's Volleyball Takes on Princeton in NCAA First-Round Contest

December 02, 2025 | Women's Volleyball

#USCWVB Notebook (Dec. 2)Tournament Central Buy Tickets 2025 NCAA Bracket

The Trojans will host NCAA matches at Galen Center for the first time since 2018

LOS ANGELES – The 14th-ranked USC women's volleyball team (24-6, 15-5 Big Ten) finished tied for third in the Big Ten and was awarded one of 33 at-large berths—and a hosting bid—into the 2025 NCAA tournament. USC makes its fourth straight appearance in the tourney under sixth-year head coach Brad Keller (41st all-time) and faces Ivy League champion Princeton (18-6) in the first round on Thursday (Dec. 4). In the other first-round match, fifth-seeded BYU (22-8) of the Big XII meets Big West champion Cal Poly (25-7). The winners of the two first-round contests advance to the second round to play on Friday (Dec. 5). All three matches at Galen Center will be shown live on ESPN+.

For the first time since 2018, USC will host NCAA matches at Galen Center where it is 20-4 in postseason contests since 2006. The Trojans are seeded fourth in the Lexington region of the 64-team bracket; the highest seed assigned to the Women of Troy since USC held the No. 11 seed in 2018 when the NCAA only seeded the top 16 teams nationally.

USC owns six national championships: three NCAA titles (1981, 2002, '03) and three AIAW championships (1976, '77, '80). The Trojans are 130-44 (.747) all-time in the postseason with an 84-37 (.694) record in NCAA tournament matches. The Women of Troy won the inaugural NCAA crown in 1981 and secured back-to-back championships under Mick Haley in 2002 and 2003. Before the NCAA began sponsoring the sport, USC won its three AIAW titles (1976, '77, '80) under the guidance of Chuck Erbe. The Trojans have appeared in all but four of the NCAA's 45 annual championship tournaments (1986, 1990, 2020-21, 2021).

Since the NCAA expanded to a field of 64 teams in 1998, USC has advanced to 12 regional championship matches, seven national semifinals (final four), and two national finals (both victories). Last year, the Women of Troy defeated UT-Arlington in the first round of the tournament at the Austin site hosted by Texas but fell to the Longhorns in the second round.

2025 NCAA TOURNAMENT
First and Second Rounds
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.

MATCH #31 • Thursday, Dec. 4 • 7 p.m. PT
[4] No. 14 USC (24-6) vs. Princeton (18-6)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
TV/STREAM: ESPN+ (Matt Brown & Makena Arteaga)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPrincetonTigers.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by sixth-year head coach Brad Keller who has the unique experience of having coached both men's and women's programs at both USC and UCLA. Overall, Keller is 109-63 (.634) as the Trojans' head coach.
The Trojans will play in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year and make their 41st appearance (6th all-time). USC is 130-44 (.747) in all postseason competitions and is 84-37 (.694) in the NCAA tournament.
USC has won 13 of its last 14 and four straight heading into the tourney.
The Women of Troy host NCAA matches at Galen Center for the first time since 2018. USC is 20-4 in NCAA contests in the arena since 2006 and are 230-63 (.785) all-time on its home court.
USC is 35-5 in its 40 previous NCAA first-round matches and have failed to move into the second round in 1983, '87, '88, '89, and 2016.
OH London Wijay and S Reese Messer (1st Team), MB Leah Ford and LIB Taylor Deckert (2nd Team), and OPP Abigail Mullen (All-Freshman) were each named to All-Big Ten Teams this week. DS Gala Trubint won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight year.
The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in 17 matches and lead the Big Ten in total blocks (301.0) and in blocks per set (2.76 bps).
Messer leads the Big Ten in assists (10.78 aps); Wijay leads the Trojans in scoring (3.93 pps) and kills (3.53 kps); Mullen ranks third in the league at 0.44 service aces per set. Deckert is 10th in the Big Ten for digs (3.28 dps) and Ford leads the Big Ten in blocks (1.35 bps) and ranks seventh in hitting (.364).

LAST TIME OUT: USC extended its win streak to four to conclude the regular season in a tie for third place in the Big Ten. The Trojans swept Michigan State behind a double-double performance from Abigail Mullen and another 10-block outing as a team. USC then took down Michigan in four sets as London Wijay reached 20 kills for the fourth time this season and made it a double-double with 11 digs. Reese Messer set USC to its 10th match north of .300 hitting and had a double-double with 48 assists and 10 digs in the win over the Wolverines.

AVCA POLL POSITION: The Trojans open the 2025 season ranked No. 21 in the AVCA coaches' poll—the same position it held to open the 2024 season. Overall, USC has appeared in the coaches' poll 557 times, which ranks sixth all-time. The Women of Troy have held a spot among the poll's top 10 teams 317 times, which ranks eighth all-time, and the Trojans have held the No. 1 ranking 47 times for seventh all-time. Since 1982—the year of the poll's inception—USC has appeared in the final poll 35 of 42 times with 18 finishes in the top 10; 12 in the top five, and twice as the No. 1-ranked team (2002, '03).

NCAA HISTORY LESSON: The Trojans are 130-44 (.747) in all-time postseason matches and have an 84-37 (.694) record in the NCAA tournament. USC has appeared in all but four NCAA tournaments (1986, '90, 2020-21, '21) and is the owner of six national championships including three NCAA crowns (1981, 2002, '03). USC won the first-ever NCAA championship in 1981. The Women of Troy also captured three AIAW championships in 1976, '77, and 1980.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: USC is 35-5 in NCAA first-round matches. The five times the Trojans have not advanced out of the first round were in 1983, '87, '88, '89, and 2016.

TIGER'S BLOOD: Princeton Fr. OH Sarah Hom is the daughter of USC men's volleyball All-American (1989) hitter Lawrence Hom (1986-89). Hom led the Trojans to a reverse sweep victory in the 1988 NCAA championship match over UC Santa Barbara.