Friday, September 26
University Park, Pa.
5:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. ET
USC
at
Penn State
Photo by: Kim Ly
No. 17 USC Women's Volleyball Visits Lions and Buckeyes to Open Big Ten
September 23, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
The Trojans will face No. 15 Penn State and Ohio State on back-to-back nights on the road
LOS ANGELES – 17th-ranked USC (9-1) opens Big Ten conference play with a cross-country trek to meet defending NCAA champion No. 15 Penn State (6-4) on Friday (Sept. 26) in State College. The Women of Troy then hop over to Columbus for a match at Ohio State (3-5) on Saturday (Sept. 27). Both contests will be shown live on Big Ten Plus. USC is 36-13 in conference openers, which includes a five-set win at home over the Buckeyes in 2024.
BIG TEN OPENER
MATCH #11 • Friday, Sept. 26 • 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
No. 17 USC (9-1) at No. 15 Penn State (6-4)
Rec Hall • State College, Pa.
SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 2-3 (.400)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Oct. 26, 2024 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Lost 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-3
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Jack Rachinsky & Michela Barbanente)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPSUSports.com
MATCH #12 • Saturday, Sept. 27 • 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
No. 17 USC (9-1) at Ohio State (3-5)
Covelli Center • Columbus, Ohio
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 5-2 (.714)
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Sept. 27, 2024 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 5-2
TV/STREAM: B1G+
OPPONENT WEBSITE: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
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FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
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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 547 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).
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CENTURY CITY: Sixth-year head coach Brad Keller is 94-58 and needs just six 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 94 wins, Keller is already the fourth-winningest coach in program history.
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B1G AND SMALL: Only three Big Ten teams hold winning records against the Trojans. Wisconsin has the best win percentage of the three with a 6-3 mark against USC. Illinois is 4-3 and Penn State is 3-2 against the Women of Troy.Â
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KEYSTONE CAPER: The Trojans are 2-2 all-time in the state of Pennsylvania. USC played in the 2011 AVCA Showcase event to open that season and split a pair of five-set matches with a win over 12th-ranked Minnesota and a loss to host and No. 1-ranked Penn State in State College. The Trojans made their second trip to the Keystone State for the 2023 NCAA first and second rounds. USC defeated UMBC (3-0) in the opening round and fell to Pittsburgh (3-1) in the second round.
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B1G POW: Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1—the first weekly award of her career—after she produced career highs of 11 kills and 10 blocks for her first double-double. In the process, she racked up a career-best 18.5 points as the first player to reach 10 blocks since Aug. 31, 2023, when Lindsey Miller had 11 against Hawai'i on the islands. Reese Messer was chosen as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Sept. 22) for her first-career weekly award. Trojans have earned Big Ten weekly awards six times. In 2024—USC's first year in the conference—Mia Tuaniga earned Setter of the Week laurels twice while Ally Batenhorst was named the Player of the Week once and Jadyn Livings was chosen for the Freshman of the Week award once.
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ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.11 blocks per set ranks first in the Big Ten and is sixth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31) and has reached double-digit blocks in seven 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).
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BIG TEN OPENER
MATCH #11 • Friday, Sept. 26 • 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
No. 17 USC (9-1) at No. 15 Penn State (6-4)
Rec Hall • State College, Pa.
SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 2-3 (.400)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Oct. 26, 2024 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Lost 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-3
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Jack Rachinsky & Michela Barbanente)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPSUSports.com
MATCH #12 • Saturday, Sept. 27 • 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
No. 17 USC (9-1) at Ohio State (3-5)
Covelli Center • Columbus, Ohio
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 5-2 (.714)
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Sept. 27, 2024 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 5-2
TV/STREAM: B1G+
OPPONENT WEBSITE: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
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- 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 94-58 (.618) as the Trojans' head coach.
- The Trojans are ranked No. 17 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
- USC is 36-13 in conference openers; 15-8 when it opens on the road. Last year, USC beat Ohio State, 3-2, in its Big Ten opener at Galen Center.
- USC travels to Pennsylvania for only the third time (2011, '23) and is 2-2 in the Keystone State with a 1-1 mark in State College.
- The Trojans visit Ohio for just the fourth time (2007, '10, '22) where they are 5-1. It is USC's first regular-season trek into the Buckeye State since 2007.
- The Women of Troy have reached double-digit blocks in seven matches and lead the Big Ten in blocks per set (3.11 bps) and are sixth nationally.
- Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford leads USC (5th in the Big Ten) in blocks (1.36 bps).
- Fr. OPP Abigail Mullen is the Trojans' leading scorer with 4.19 points per set and ranks 11th in the Big Ten.
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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 547 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).
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CENTURY CITY: Sixth-year head coach Brad Keller is 94-58 and needs just six 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 94 wins, Keller is already the fourth-winningest coach in program history.
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B1G AND SMALL: Only three Big Ten teams hold winning records against the Trojans. Wisconsin has the best win percentage of the three with a 6-3 mark against USC. Illinois is 4-3 and Penn State is 3-2 against the Women of Troy.Â
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KEYSTONE CAPER: The Trojans are 2-2 all-time in the state of Pennsylvania. USC played in the 2011 AVCA Showcase event to open that season and split a pair of five-set matches with a win over 12th-ranked Minnesota and a loss to host and No. 1-ranked Penn State in State College. The Trojans made their second trip to the Keystone State for the 2023 NCAA first and second rounds. USC defeated UMBC (3-0) in the opening round and fell to Pittsburgh (3-1) in the second round.
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B1G POW: Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1—the first weekly award of her career—after she produced career highs of 11 kills and 10 blocks for her first double-double. In the process, she racked up a career-best 18.5 points as the first player to reach 10 blocks since Aug. 31, 2023, when Lindsey Miller had 11 against Hawai'i on the islands. Reese Messer was chosen as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Sept. 22) for her first-career weekly award. Trojans have earned Big Ten weekly awards six times. In 2024—USC's first year in the conference—Mia Tuaniga earned Setter of the Week laurels twice while Ally Batenhorst was named the Player of the Week once and Jadyn Livings was chosen for the Freshman of the Week award once.
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ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.11 blocks per set ranks first in the Big Ten and is sixth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31) and has reached double-digit blocks in seven 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).
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Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
Women's Volleyball - USC 3, OSU 0: Highlights (9/27/25)
Saturday, September 27
Women's Volleyball - USC 2, Penn State 3: Highlights (9/26/25)
Friday, September 26
Women's Volleyball - USC 3, Cal 1
Sunday, September 21
Women's Volleyball - USC 3, LSU 0: Highlights (9/19/25)
Friday, September 19
