Friday, September 5
Los Angeles, Calif.
4:00 p.m. PT
USC
vs
#13 Creighton vs. San Diego
Photo by: John McGillen
No. 22 USC Women's Volleyball Hosts Three for Trojan Invitational
September 02, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
The Women of Troy take on UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, and No. 13 Creighton at Galen Center this week
LOS ANGELES – No. 22 USC (2-0) hosts three teams—UC Santa Barbara (2-0), San Diego (3-0), and Creighton (1-2)—for six matches in the Trojan Invitational at Galen Center this week (Sept. 5-7). The Women of Troy and the Bluejays meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT in a contest that will be shown live on Big Ten Network.
TROJAN INVITATIONAL
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
MATCH #3 • Friday, Sept. 5 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-0)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 29-9 (.763)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Sept. 8, 2017 • Santa Barbara, Calif.)
STREAK: Won 6 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Kasey Kazliner & Lily Coleman)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCSBGauchos.com
MATCH #4 • Saturday, Sept. 6 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. San Diego (3-0)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 13-4 (.765)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Sept. 10, 2023 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-4
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Matt Brown & Victoria Dennis)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: USDToreros.com
MATCH #5 • Sunday, Sept. 7 • 1 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. No. 13 Creighton (1-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 6-4 (.600)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Sept. 5, 2024 • Omaha, Neb.)
STREAK: Lost 4 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-4
TV: Big Ten Network (Paul Sunderland & Holly McPeak)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoCreighton.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
TROJAN INVITATIONAL
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
MATCH #3 • Friday, Sept. 5 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-0)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 29-9 (.763)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (Sept. 8, 2017 • Santa Barbara, Calif.)
STREAK: Won 6 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Kasey Kazliner & Lily Coleman)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCSBGauchos.com
MATCH #4 • Saturday, Sept. 6 • 7 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. San Diego (3-0)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 13-4 (.765)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Sept. 10, 2023 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-4
TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Matt Brown & Victoria Dennis)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: USDToreros.com
MATCH #5 • Sunday, Sept. 7 • 1 p.m. PT
No. 22 USC (2-0) vs. No. 13 Creighton (1-2)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 6-4 (.600)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Sept. 5, 2024 • Omaha, Neb.)
STREAK: Lost 4 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 6-4
TV: Big Ten Network (Paul Sunderland & Holly McPeak)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoCreighton.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 87-57 (.604) as the Trojans' head coach.
- The Trojans are No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. They ended 2024 ranked No. 24. USC was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten.
- Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford was an All-Big Ten second-team choice in 2024 and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 1.
- Redshirt Jr. OH Adonia Faumuina is the team's leading returning scorer and was named to the Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Sr. LIB Gala Trubint led USC in digs in 2024 (3.31 dps) and has reached 1,231 career digs, which ranks 13th all-time in school history.
LAST TIME OUT: USC opened the 2025 campaign with a sweep of Denver in front of a record crowd for a season opener at Galen Center (5,606). Abigail Mullen made an immediate impact with 13 kills and 11 digs in her first collegiate match. USC then went on the road to take on Loyola Marymount on the Bluff where Reese Messer racked her first-career double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs. Leah Ford also saw her first action of the season against the Lions and was unstoppable as she collected her first-career double-double with 11 kills and 10 blocks. USC moved to 2-0 under head coach Brad Keller for the third time and for the second straight season.
B1G POW: Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week—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. Trojans have earned Big Ten weekly awards five times with Ford's selection. In 2024—USC's first 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.
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 544 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).
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.43 blocks per set ranks second in the Big Ten and is ninth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31). 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).
B1G POW: Redshirt So. MB Leah Ford was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week—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. Trojans have earned Big Ten weekly awards five times with Ford's selection. In 2024—USC's first 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.
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 544 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).
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: The Trojans' 3.43 blocks per set ranks second in the Big Ten and is ninth nationally. USC posted 16.0 blocks in a four-set win over Loyola Marymount (Aug. 31). 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).
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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