The Trojans fought to prevail over the Buckeyes by winning the fourth and fifth set. USC began leading the first set 4-3 breaking the tie after a service ace by senior outside hitter Dillon Klein. Redshirt junior outside hitter Noah Roberts contributed to the Trojans’ offense in the first set, scoring six kills and putting on service pressure by serving .667 impact. USC had a strong start to the game after a kill by Klein secured the first set 25-19.
Ohio State responded by ramping up the energy in the second and third sets. The second set was a battle with 10 tie scores. Ohio State’s sophomore outside hitter Stanislaw Chacinski was a key component for the team’s offense in the second set collecting eight kills. Chacinski’s third kill in the second put the Buckeyes in the lead for the first time in the game by 6-5, but USC trailed closely behind with kills from Klein and an attack error by Chacinski that put the score tied at 11-11. The score was tied again at 13-13, 14-14, 15-15, until Ohio State took the final lead in the set with a kill from Chacinski and eventually ended with a kill from freshman middle blocker Brady Jones to win the second set by 25-21.
The battle to win the third set started after a kill from Klein and Cachinski for the first tie of the set at 1-1. The Buckeyes went back and forth with a total of eight ties in the third set. The Trojans fought back until the very last point with two consecutive kills from Sterling and Klein to tie the score 24-24 forcing Ohio State to call a timeout. It was after a kill by middle blocker junior Thiago Zamprogno that the Buckeyes earned the consecutive two points to win the set 27-25, ending with an attack error by USC’s offense.
“We have a pretty experienced team and the mindset is just the next ball. It’s like the next ball, be present,” head coach Jeffy Nygaard said. “The last one’s over, you can’t control it. We’re on to this next moment, this next play.”
Sophomore outside hitter Sterling Foley was a key player in the Trojan’s offense for the game, helping them gain momentum back the final two sets, collecting 12 total kills and hitting .471.
“What worked for me is that this week in practice I’ve been trying to speed up the tempo of my setters and not let it hang as much, so the blockers have time to read, and I think that helped a lot,” Foley said.
The fourth set proved to be the toughest deciding set, with 16 ties. Freshman outside hitter Keeane Cooper delivered the kill that marked set point for the Trojans at 25-24, forcing a timeout from Ohio State. Foley helped USC stay alive with a kill and a dramatic solo block to finish the set 27-25.
USC finished the fifth strong, leading the entire set. Consecutive kills from Chacinski started to close the gap, still trailing USC by two. However, the Trojans maintained the advantage, finishing the set with a kill from Klein. USC won the set 15-11 sealing a 3-2 win.
Now, with the victory against Ohio State, USC has extended their season record to 5-0. They are currently ranked as the No. 4 team in the AVCA poll and look to play against the CSUN Matadors (5-1) on Feb. 4 back again in Galen Center.