The No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers were swept by the USC Trojans on Sunday, losing 24-26, 19-25 and 22-25.
“I thought today we were outplayed in every facet,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said postgame. “Serving has been a problem in back-to-back matches and we have to get back to the drawing board.”
In the first set, Jaidyn Jager got the Hoosiers offense going with two early kills. Mia Tvrdy and Abigail Mullin facilitated the offense for USC, keeping the score even at 4-4 early on. The Trojans got some separation right after thanks to two kills from Adonia Faumuina, making the score 6-4 favoring USC. Indiana got to work right after, however. Kills from Avry Tatum and Ella Boersema jumpstarted a Hoosier offense that rattled off three straight points, swinging the momentum back to Indiana. Boersema added an ace and a kill right after, giving the Hoosiers a 10-9 advantage.
Indiana was then able to force USC into making some errors, creating separation as the teams headed into the media timeout. A kill from Sara Snowbarger made the score 15-13.
Out of the break, the Trojans cut the deficit to one after a kill from Faumuina and a service air from the Hoosiers, making the score 16-15. Kills from Teodora Kričković and Boersema got the Hoosiers back on track, but USC was able to take the lead right after going on a run. Leah Ford got the scoring started for the Trojans with a kill, and after another Hoosier error was made, Tvrdy contributed a key block, giving USC a 19-18 lead and forcing Indiana to use their first timeout.
Out of the timeout, USC made back-to-back errors, giving the Hoosiers a lead and forcing the Trojans to use their first timeout.
A service error from Kričković coupled with a kill from Mullin swung the lead back into the favor of the Trojans. Indiana took the lead right back after a kill and block from Tatum on back-to-back points. A kill from Kiki Granberry made the score 23-22 favoring the Hoosiers and forced the Trojans to use their final timeout. A kill from Snowbarger pushed USC to the brink, but the Trojans responded. Faumuina added back-to-back kills and Ford contributed a block, giving USC a sudden 25-24 advantage. Tatum made an attack error right after, giving USC a crucial 26-24 win in the first set.
In the second set, the Hoosiers and Trojans traded points early. USC made more errors, and after a Granberry kill, Indiana held a 5-3 lead. The Trojans were able to even the score at 6-6 after an ace from London Wijay and a kill from Tvrdy. USC got more offense from Wijay and Ford, giving them a 9-8 lead. Wijay and Ford added on more kills, extending the USC lead to 14-9. Another kill from Ford made the lead 15-10 heading into the media timeout.
Indiana cut the lead to 17-14 out of the timeout, with Tatum contributing two kills and Kričković facilitating the offense. After a USC timeout, however, the Trojans regained their footing. A kill from Ford coupled with an Indiana service error made the score 20-15 and forced the Hoosiers to burn a timeout.
Indiana made more errors out of the break, making the score 23-18. A kill from Tvrdy pushed the Hoosiers to the brink, and after another Tvrdy kill, the Trojans took set two 25-19.
In the third set, the Hoosiers jumped out to an early 3-2 lead after a great dig from Hannah Leftridge led to a Tatum kill to break the deadlock. After kills from Tatum and Victoria Gray, Indiana held a 7-5 lead. Kills from Jager and Granberry kept the Hoosiers in front at 10-8, but after an ace from Ford and another error from Indiana, the score was knotted at 10-10. A block from Tvrdy gave USC the lead, and an attack error on Jager made the score 12-10 favoring the Trojans, forcing Aird to use his first timeout.
The Hoosiers responded well, rattling off three straight points thanks to strong play from Tatum and Jager. After more errors from Indiana, however, USC was able to hold a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Indiana continued to make errors. Kills from Wijay and Ford extended the lead to 20-17. Ford continued to dominate, pushing the lead to 22-17 after a pair of blocks. A kill from Mullen pushed the Hoosiers to the brink, and after a late Hoosier rally, the Trojans were able to take set three after a kill from Taylor Deckert.
Indiana is on the road this week and is set to take on the No. 13 Oregon Ducks on Friday at 9 p.m. EST.
“We've gotta be resilient enough to get back on the horse and this week is going to be valuable for us,” Aird said.
