LOS ANGELES – The No. 20-ranked USC women’s volleyball team (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) posted a five-set victory (19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13) to take the lead extended their win streak to six games in a victory over Ohio State (7-4, 0-1) in the Trojans’ historic first Big Ten Conference game at Galen Center on Friday, September 27.

MAIN PLAYERS

• Gr. OH Ally Batenhorst led the Trojan attack with fifteen kills to go, with eight digs and five blocks (one solo).
• Sr. S Mia Tuaniga dished out 39 assists and had 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season (33rd career). She also had two kills, two blocks and a service ace for four points.
• Fr. OH Jadyn Livings had her fifth straight match in double-digit kills, finishing with 13 to go with 10 digs for her second consecutive double-double. Livings also had three blocks and scored on a service ace.
• Redshirt So. OPP Adonia Faumuina posted nine kills and matched her career-high with six blocks to go with five digs.
• Redshirt Jr. MB Tyrah Ariail scored 13.5 points with eight kills (3rd, 15att, .333) and eight blocks (one solo) with an ace.
• Fr. MB Prefer Anyanwu collected seven kills (2nd, 18att, .278) and had eight blocks.
• Gr. DS Grae Gosnell had 10 digs while Jr. LIB Gala Trubint returned from a two-game absence and had eight digs and had a season-high seven assists on out-of-system and transition plays.
• For the Buckeyes, Emily Londot had 15 kills to lead the charge and finished with Ohio State’s first triple-double since 2016 with 11 digs and 10 blocks (one solo). Olivia Hasbrook led all players with 20 digs. Mia Tuman had 37 assists with eight digs and four blocks. Grace Egan scored 12 kills and had 14 digs for a double-double.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USC secured its seventh game with double-digit blocks (17.0) and finished the game with more kills (56-50) than the Buckeyes, but Ohio State had more blocks (19.5), more digs (64-59) and more service aces (8-4).
• The Trojans led 15-14 at the media break in the opening set, but Ohio State went on a run to seize set point, 24-18, and closed out a 25-19 victory. USC collected six of its blocks in set one, getting three kills each from Faumuina and Livings. The Buckeyes hit .154 and had 14 kills — six from Londot — despite the Trojans’ net defense.
• USC tied the match with a 25-21 win in set two behind five kills from Batenhorst and another four from Livings. Livings also tallied four digs as part of the Trojans’ effort to hold the Buckeyes to .000 with five kills on 25 swings. USC added two more blocks and served a pair of aces, one from Tuaniga and one from Ariail.
• Batenhorst racked up five more kills in the third, spurring the Trojans to a .355 hitting performance with 15 kills (4th) on 31 swings. Ariail and Livings each scored three kills, while Tuaniga scored two of his own en route to a 25-20 victory for a 2-1 lead in the match. The Trojans led by as many as seven and collected five more blocks, but were caught within 16 points as the Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run. Anyanwu’s assassination ended the rampage and set the Women of Troy on the path to victory.
• Both teams had four blocks each in the fourth, but Ohio State hit .143 to surpass USC’s attack percentage of .069 and sent the match to a fifth set with a 25-20 victory. Batenhorst added four more kills, while Livings posted two with the only service ace of the Trojans’ frame. Egan recorded six kills to pace the Buckeye offense.
• The Trojans raced out to a 12-6 lead in the fifth, but had to fend off a hard charge from the Buckeyes to hold on for a 15-13 victory to seal the game. Faumuina had two kills – including the final point of the match – while Ariail and Madison Pietsch each added two kills apiece. Megan Verbiest came in and added three digs and had a service ace.

NEXT

• USC plays its first Big Ten road game when it faces Lincoln, Neb. heads to take on No. 2 Nebraska (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday (Sept. 29) at Devaney Center. The first service is scheduled for 6:30 PM CT (4:30 PM PT) and the game will be shown live on Big Ten Network.

MATCH NOTES

• USC improved to 5-2 all-time against Ohio State (3-0 at home) and to 2-0 in five-set matches against the Buckeyes.
• The Women of Troy improved to 36-13 all-time in conference openers with a mark of 21-5 as USC opens conference play with a home game.
• The Trojans won their sixth straight home game at Galen Center and improved to 210-56 all-time at the arena.
• USC reached double-digit blocks for the seventh time this year.
• In five-set matches, USC improved to 2-0 this season and moved to 154-108 all-time with a 64-40 home record. Against Big Ten opponents specifically, the Trojans improved to 44-39 in five-setters.

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