No. 17 USC Women's Volleyball Walks Down Wildcats in Four-Set Win

Thursday, November 6

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 p.m. PT

USC

18-5,9-4Big Ten

Northwestern

15-10,5-8Big Ten

Northwestern

Southern California

Photo by: Bryce Dechert

No. 17 USC Women's Volleyball Walks Down Wildcats in Four-Set Win

November 06, 2025 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Highlights

London Wijay totaled 22 kills and hit .340 in a victory over Northwestern, USC’s seventh straight

LOS ANGELES – The No. 17-ranked USC women's volleyball team (18-5, 9-4 Big Ten) won its season-best seventh straight match in a four-set decision (22-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-23) against Northwestern (15-10, 5-8) at Galen Center on Thursday, Nov.6.

KEY PLAYERS

RS So. OH London Wijay reached the 20-kill mark for the third time in her last six matches and finished with 22 (4e, 53att) for .340 hitting and added nine digs, two service aces, and an assist.
Fr. OPP Abigail Mullen came on strong in the final two sets and totaled 14 kills (5e) on 35 swings to log a .257 hitting percentage. It was her 15th match in double-digit kills. She also had eight digs, four blocks, and a service ace.
RS Jr. OH Adonia Faumuina produced nine kills (2e) on 24 attacks to hit .292 and had three digs and a block.
Fr. S Reese Messer handed out 49 assists and had eight digs, two blocks, and a pair of kills.
RS So. MB Leah Ford scored 11.5 points earned on nine kills (2e, 21att, .333) and had five blocks and a dig.
Fr. LIB Taylor Deckert had 23 digs—and five assists—for her 14th match in double digits; her third over the 20-dig mark.
Sr. MB Rylie McGinest added seven kills (1e, 16att) to hit .375 and put up a block and a service ace.
For the Wildcats, Rylen Reid and Isabella Bullington each had 13 kills, and both hit .281 (4e, 32att). Ayah Elnady put up 10 kills and picked up the double-double with 14 digs. Lauren Carter put up 27 assists to go with eight digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

USC out-hit Northwestern, .271 to .229, and had more kills (65-46) and assists (56-45), but the Wildcats held the edge in digs (65-62), service aces (5-4), and blocks (10-7).
The Wildcats struck first to take a 25-22 win in the opening frame behind a .412 hitting performance. Reid and Bullington each turned in five-kill sets as part of a total of 16 kills (2e) on 34 swings. NU also had a big 21-15 edge in digs and put up a pair of blocks to hold USC to a .227 hitting rate with 15 kills (5e) on 44 attacks. Wijay racked up seven of her kills in the opening set to help put the Trojans in front by as many as four.
Wijay totaled six more kills in the second set to lead the Trojans to 16 kills (6e) on 47 attacks for a .213 hitting percentage. Reid had five of the Wildcats' 11 kills (5e, 37att, .162). Deckert posted eight more digs in the second set to reach double digits. The Trojans led by as many as seven points, but Northwestern chipped away to close within two at 23-21 before back-to-back kills from McGinest closed out a 25-21 win for USC and tied up the match.
USC went in front, 2-1, with a dominant 25-16 victory in set three. Mullen poured in six of her kills while Wijay added four to go with three apiece from Faumuina and McGinest. The Trojans hit .421 as a team (19k, 3e, 38att) as Messer dished out 13 assists. Deckert had six of her digs in the third to give USC a 15-10 edge in floor defense. After six ties, the Trojans pulled away to take a six-point lead, 18-12. USC scored five straight kills to make it 23-14 before closing the door on the 'Cats.
The Trojans never had a truly comfortable lead in the fourth but held on to finish off a 25-23 win to seal the match. Mullen and Wijay each had five kills apiece in the frame to lead USC to a .270 hitting performance (15k, 5e, 37att). Faumuina and Ford each added two kills. Despite leading through the belly of the set, USC found itself even with the 'Cats at 21-all for the seventh tie of the set. McGinest, Ford, and Mullen each tallied kills down the stretch to close out the match.

UP NEXT

USC heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington (10-12, 5-7 Big Ten) on Sunday (Nov. 9) at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. First serve is set for 2 p.m. PT and the match will be shown live on Big Ten Plus.

MATCH NOTES

USC moved to 3-0 against Northwestern and played the Wildcats at home for the first time in the head-to-head series.
The Women of Troy won their seventh straight match to extend the season's longest win streak.
The Trojans won their fifth straight home match to go to 12-2 at Galen Center this fall. USC also goes to 228-62 all-time at Galen Center since 2006.

For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram.