Thursday, September 18
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 p.m. PT
USC
vs
LSU
Photo by: Cary Qian
No. 19 USC Women's Volleyball Hosts Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
September 15, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
The Women of Troy are 4-0 at Galen Center this season
LOS ANGELES – 19th-ranked USC (6-1) returns to Galen Center—where it is 4-0—to close nonconference play with three matches: two against LSU (6-2) on Thursday and Friday (Sept. 18, 19) and one against former Pac-12 rival California (3-4) on Sunday (Sept. 21). After opening the season with five straight victories, the Women of Troy stumbled in three-set loss to BYU but got back on track with a 3-0 sweep of Western Michigan in the LMU Invitational last week. Both USC-LSU matches will be on Big Ten Plus while the Trojans and Golden Bears make a Sunday-matinee national television appearance on Big Ten Network.
THIS WEEK
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
MATCH #8 • Thursday, Sept. 18 • 7 p.m. PT
MATCH #9 • Friday, Sept. 19 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 19 USC (6-1) vs. LSU (6-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 2-1 (.667)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Sept. 12, 1992 • Albuquerque, N.M.)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-1
STREAM: B1G+ (Kasey Kazliner & Makena Arteaga)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LSUSports.net
MATCH #10 • Sunday, Sept. 21 • 2 p.m. PT
No. 19 USC (6-1) vs. California (3-4)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 68-13 (.840)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Nov. 17, 2023 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
TV: Big Ten Network (Paul Sunderland & Camryn Irwin)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CalBears.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
THIS WEEK
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
MATCH #8 • Thursday, Sept. 18 • 7 p.m. PT
MATCH #9 • Friday, Sept. 19 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 19 USC (6-1) vs. LSU (6-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 2-1 (.667)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Sept. 12, 1992 • Albuquerque, N.M.)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-1
STREAM: B1G+ (Kasey Kazliner & Makena Arteaga)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LSUSports.net
MATCH #10 • Sunday, Sept. 21 • 2 p.m. PT
No. 19 USC (6-1) vs. California (3-4)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 68-13 (.840)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Nov. 17, 2023 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
TV: Big Ten Network (Paul Sunderland & Camryn Irwin)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: CalBears.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 91-58 (.611) as the Trojans' head coach.
- The Trojans are ranked No. 19 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
- The Women of Troy have reached double-digit blocks in four matches and lead the Big Ten in blocks per set (3.00 bps).
- USC is 4-0 at home this season and is 220-60 (.786) all-time at Galen Center.
- First-year USC assistant coach Blossom Sato will be on the opposite bench from cousin Andrew Sato--in his second year at California--for the first time when the teams meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT.
- Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 1, and leads USC (2nd in the Big Ten) in blocks (1.48 bps).
- Fr. OPP Abigail Mullen is the Trojans' leading scorer with 4.26 points per set and ranks 12th in the Big Ten.
LAST TIME OUT: USC had a five-match win streak snapped by then-No. 19 BYU in a 3-0 sweep at Gersten Pavilion but returned the next day to right the ship in a straight-set win over Western Michigan in the LMU Invitational. London Wijay collected 11 kills in both contests and picked up her second double-double with 13 digs in the win over the Broncos. Brooklyn Tealer matched Wijay's 11-kill output against BYU and Abigail Mullen had 11 against WMU. The Trojans hit .324 in the match with Western Michigan thanks to 38 assists from Reese Messer. USC collected 8.5 blocks in each match to out-block its opponent for the seventh time this season.
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 546 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).
CENTURY CITY: Sixth-year head coach Brad Keller is 91-58 and needs just nine wins to reach the 100-win mark in his career. Only three other coaches have ever collected 100 or more wins in USC history: Mick Haley (435), Chuck Erbe (310), and Lisa Love (205). At 91 wins, Keller is already the fourth-winningest coach in program history.
FAMILY FEUD: First-year USC assistant coach Blossom Sato will be on the opposite bench from cousin Andrew Sato—the son of Trojans' men's assistant coach Gary Sato—when the Women of Troy take on the Golden Bears. In his second year as a full-time assistant with Cal, Andrew and Blossom will coach against each other for the first time in their careers.
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.00 blocks per set ranks first in the Big Ten and is eighth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31) and has reached double-digit blocks in four matches. In 2024, USC reached double-digit blocks 20 times in 32 matches including season highs of 19.5 blocks twice: vs. Kansas State (Sept. 6) and vs. Loyola Marymount (Sept. 19).
DOUBLE DOWN: Six Trojans own career double-doubles. Three were achieved in the first week of the season. OPP Abigail Mullen, MB Leah Ford, and S Reese Messer each produced the first of their careers to help the Trojans go 2-0 to open the 2025 season. Entering the fall, OH Adonia Faumuina had logged a double-double in her first-collegiate match as she led the Women of Troy to a win over crosstown rival UCLA. OH London Wijay had back-to-back double-doubles in road matches at Purdue and UCLA for her first two of her career and now has 11-career double-doubles. LIB Gala Trubint has had two-career double-doubles with digs and 10 assists each time.
HOME, SWEET HOME: USC is 220-60 (.786) all-time at Galen Center. The Trojans went 12-4 at home in 2024. In 2011, USC was 12-1 in home matches and completed 2012 with a 17-1 mark. In 2007, USC was 19-0 at home on the way to an appearance in the NCAA national semifinal match. The Trojans are 20-4 all-time at Galen Center in NCAA tournament matches. The four losses were to Hawai'i (2008 and 2009) and San Diego (2018) each time in the second round; and to Washington in the 2013 NCAA Regional Final.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: Pin-hitters London Wijay and Brooklyn Tealer are carrying the left-side load for the Women of Troy. Wijay—a redshirt sophomore—is second on the team with 2.96 kills per set while Tealer—a redshirt freshman—ranks third among Trojans with 2.00 kills per set. The duo has started on the left in each of USC's last two matches.
FRESH SET: Setters Reese Messer and Allie Hazelwood have some big shoes to fill following the departure of All-American setter Mia Tuaniga. Tuaniga held the starting setter position for the Trojans for more than three years and played in 121 matches to become the program's all-time leader with 4,529 career assists. Tuaniga surpassed a program record previously held by All-American Kendall Bateman (4,510 assists; 2008-11) that stood for more than 12 years.
DIGGIN' DEEP: LIB Gala Trubint produced back-to-back 416-dig seasons in 2022 and 2023 and had 377 in 2024. Trubint has reached double-digit digs in 72-career matches and has reached the 20-dig mark 16 times. With 1,259 career digs, Trubint ranks 12th in program history. She is only the 20th Trojan ever to reach the 1,000-dig plateau.
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 546 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).
CENTURY CITY: Sixth-year head coach Brad Keller is 91-58 and needs just nine wins to reach the 100-win mark in his career. Only three other coaches have ever collected 100 or more wins in USC history: Mick Haley (435), Chuck Erbe (310), and Lisa Love (205). At 91 wins, Keller is already the fourth-winningest coach in program history.
FAMILY FEUD: First-year USC assistant coach Blossom Sato will be on the opposite bench from cousin Andrew Sato—the son of Trojans' men's assistant coach Gary Sato—when the Women of Troy take on the Golden Bears. In his second year as a full-time assistant with Cal, Andrew and Blossom will coach against each other for the first time in their careers.
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.00 blocks per set ranks first in the Big Ten and is eighth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31) and has reached double-digit blocks in four matches. In 2024, USC reached double-digit blocks 20 times in 32 matches including season highs of 19.5 blocks twice: vs. Kansas State (Sept. 6) and vs. Loyola Marymount (Sept. 19).
DOUBLE DOWN: Six Trojans own career double-doubles. Three were achieved in the first week of the season. OPP Abigail Mullen, MB Leah Ford, and S Reese Messer each produced the first of their careers to help the Trojans go 2-0 to open the 2025 season. Entering the fall, OH Adonia Faumuina had logged a double-double in her first-collegiate match as she led the Women of Troy to a win over crosstown rival UCLA. OH London Wijay had back-to-back double-doubles in road matches at Purdue and UCLA for her first two of her career and now has 11-career double-doubles. LIB Gala Trubint has had two-career double-doubles with digs and 10 assists each time.
HOME, SWEET HOME: USC is 220-60 (.786) all-time at Galen Center. The Trojans went 12-4 at home in 2024. In 2011, USC was 12-1 in home matches and completed 2012 with a 17-1 mark. In 2007, USC was 19-0 at home on the way to an appearance in the NCAA national semifinal match. The Trojans are 20-4 all-time at Galen Center in NCAA tournament matches. The four losses were to Hawai'i (2008 and 2009) and San Diego (2018) each time in the second round; and to Washington in the 2013 NCAA Regional Final.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: Pin-hitters London Wijay and Brooklyn Tealer are carrying the left-side load for the Women of Troy. Wijay—a redshirt sophomore—is second on the team with 2.96 kills per set while Tealer—a redshirt freshman—ranks third among Trojans with 2.00 kills per set. The duo has started on the left in each of USC's last two matches.
FRESH SET: Setters Reese Messer and Allie Hazelwood have some big shoes to fill following the departure of All-American setter Mia Tuaniga. Tuaniga held the starting setter position for the Trojans for more than three years and played in 121 matches to become the program's all-time leader with 4,529 career assists. Tuaniga surpassed a program record previously held by All-American Kendall Bateman (4,510 assists; 2008-11) that stood for more than 12 years.
DIGGIN' DEEP: LIB Gala Trubint produced back-to-back 416-dig seasons in 2022 and 2023 and had 377 in 2024. Trubint has reached double-digit digs in 72-career matches and has reached the 20-dig mark 16 times. With 1,259 career digs, Trubint ranks 12th in program history. She is only the 20th Trojan ever to reach the 1,000-dig plateau.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballWomen's Volleyball - USC 3, LSU 0: Highlights (9/19/25)
Friday, September 19
USC Women's Volleyball vs LSU Post Game Press Conference 09/19/25
Friday, September 19
USC Women's Volleyball vs LSU Post Game Press Conference
Thursday, September 18
Women's Volleyball - USC 3, LSU 1: Highlights (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
