USC Women's Volleyball Hosts Buckeyes and Nittany Lions at Galen Center

Friday, October 16

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 p.m. PT

USC

Ohio State

Tickets From $10

USC women's volleyball opposite hitter Abigail Mullen goes up to attack during a match against Michigan at Galen Center

Photo by: William Fosnot

USC Women's Volleyball Hosts Buckeyes and Nittany Lions at Galen Center

October 15, 2026 | Women's Volleyball

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The Trojans are coming off a 3-0 sweep of No. 15 Indiana on the road

LOS ANGELES – USC (8-8, 2-4 Big Ten) returns home to host Ohio State (9-7, 2-4) and No. 15 Penn State (12-4, 4-2) at Galen Center this weekend. The Women of Troy take on the Buckeyes on Friday night (Oct. 16) for a 7 p.m. PT first serve and then meet the Nittany Lions on Saturday evening (Oct. 17) in a 4 p.m. bout. Saturday's match is a Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge contest and is also USC's Alumnae and Dig Pink match.

THIS WEEK
MATCH #17 • Friday, Oct. 16 • 7 p.m. PT
USC (8-8, 2-4) vs. Ohio State (9-7, 2-4)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 6-2 (.750)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Sept. 27, 2025 • Columbus, Ohio)
STREAK: Win 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-2
TV: FS1 (Carlo Jimenez & Anna Connelly)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

MATCH #18 • Saturday, Oct. 17 • 4 p.m. PT
USC (8-8, 2-4) vs. No. 15 Penn State (12-4, 4-2)
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 2-4 (.250)
LAST MEETING: L 3-2 (Sept. 26, 2025 • State College, Pa.)
STREAK: Lost 4 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-4
TV: BTN (Paul Sunderland & Alyssa Klostermann)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPSUSports.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by fourth-year associate head coach Megan Moenoa who was named the Trojans' interim head coach on Oct. 5, 2026.
The USC-Penn State match is part of the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge, which takes place during the month of October (and into November). B1G matches played on weekends (Saturday/Sunday) are counted towards the in-season challenge's standings. USC is 1-1 in challenge matches.
USC-Penn State is also the designated Dig Pink match and USC's Alumni Match. The Trojans will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 AIAW national championship team. The year was both the first USC awarded scholarships in women's volleyball and the first of six national crowns.
The Trojans lead the Big Ten in blocks (2.89 bps) and rank 11th in the NCAA. USC has put up double-digit blocks in eight matches this season.
Jr. MB Mia Tvrdy ranks second in the Big Ten for blocks (1.36 bps) and RS Jr. MB Leah Ford (1.27 bps) ranks sixth in the league.
So. OPP Abigail Mullen is USC's leading scorer at 3.81 points per set. RS Jr. OH London Wijay averages 3.37 pps for second on the team.

LAST TIME OUT: The Women of Troy split road matches in the Midwest against a pair of ranked teams. USC—playing its first match under interim head coach Megan Moenoa—fell to 16th-ranked Purdue in straight sets but turned around and took down No. 15 Indiana in a 3-0 sweep. It was the Trojans' second victory over a ranked opponent and USC's sixth 3-0 sweep this fall. USC reached double-digit blocks (10.0) for the eighth time and were led by a six-block performance from Leah Ford in the win over Indiana. Ford and Abigail Mullen (11 kills, four blocks) led the team with 13.0 points each in the win. The win snapped a four-match losing streak; USC's longest since it lost six in a row in 2020-21.

BIG TEN DISCOVER VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE: The Trojans—along with the other 17 Big Ten teams—are participating in the conference's Discover Volleyball Challengeduring the month of October. In its second year, the in-season challenge begins Oct. 3 and runs through Nov. 1. Weekend (Saturday/Sunday) conference matches will count toward the standings with each team playing five designated challenge matches throughout the month. The winner will be determined by the highest win total across the five matches with tiebreak procedures in the event two or more teams have the same win total. Last season, USC was 4-1 in challenge matches while both Nebraska and Purdue went 5-0 with the Cornhuskers taking home the trophy after tiebreakers were applied. Through one match, the Trojans are 1-1 in this year's challenge.

BLOCKHEADS: USC leads the Big Ten in blocks (2.89 bps) and rank 11th in the NCAA. The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in eight contests this fall including a season-high 20.5 in a win over UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 20). The Trojans concluded 2025 as the league's leaders with 2.76 blocks per set.