Spartans Finish Los Angeles Road Trip with Five-Set Win at USC

Sunday, October 4

Los Angeles, Calif.

5 PM ET/2 PM PT

Michigan State University

13-1,3-1Big Ten

USC

7-7,1-3Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Michigan St.	18	25	24	25	15	3
Southern California	25	14	26	18	11	2

Photo by: Ynhi Le

Spartans Finish Los Angeles Road Trip with Five-Set Win at USC

10/4/2026 8:03:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score MSU 3, USC 2

LOS ANGELES – Michigan State volleyball completed a 2-0 weekend in Los Angeles with a five-set victory (18-25, 25-14, 24-26, 25-18, 15-11) over USC Sunday afternoon inside the Galen Center.

MSU moves to 13-1 with the win and 3-1 in the B1G with the win, while USC drops to 7-7 and 1-3.

The Spartans hit .333 for the match and held the Trojans to .236 hitting while leading in kills (78-50) and digs (63-45). USC held a slight advantage in service aces (6-4) and led in total blocks, 12.5-5.

Senior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska put up a team-high 17 kills in just three sets of action and posted eight digs. Senior middle blocker Zora Hardison posted a season-high 16 kills on .481 hitting, while senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston had a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs.

Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long logged a career-best 65 assists and posted nine digs, recording the most assists in a match by a Spartan since Natalie Emro had 65 against Indiana on Nov. 13, 2009. Senior libero Lia Schneider led with 12 digs, while junior middle blocker Carmen Waye had a team-high three total blocks.

MSU called a timeout early in the first set after the Trojans opened a 10-3 lead. USC extended their lead to nine with back-to-back points out of the timeout, but kills from Andrews and Hardison followed by back-to-back Hardison kills cut the lead to seven before USC took a 15-7 lead at the media timeout. A 6-3 MSU run out of the timeout cut the USC lead to five at 18-13 before two USC kills forced a second timeout at 20-14. The Trojans finished off the set with two-straight points to take the first, 25-18.

After the Trojans put down back-to-back kills to start the second, MSU responded with three-straight points to take a one-point lead before using a 4-1 run with kills from Andrews and Hardison, a USC error and block from Andrews and Hardison to force a USC timeout at 7-3. The Trojans cut the lead to three at 7-4 with a kill out of the timeout before the Spartans forced a second USC timeout with a 5-0 run with kills from Andrews, Hardison and Bankston at 12-4. MSU then used a Bankston kill and back-to-back Waye kills to take a 15-6 lead at the media timeout. The Spartans continued to dominate the set, getting to set point with an Andrews kill at 24-13 and ending the set with a kill from Bankston to take the second and even the match, 25-14.

After a back-and-forth start to the third set, the Spartans called timeout after the Trojans opened up a 12-8 lead. USC then used a 3-0 run out of the timeout to take a 15-8 lead at the media break. The Spartans fired off three-straight points out of the timeout with kills from Staniszewska and Hardison and a Staniszewska service ace to cut the USC advantage to four before cutting the lead to three with a Waye kill and USC attack error at 17-14. USC extended its lead back to five at 20-15 before a 3-0 MSU run with kills from Waye and Staniszewska and a Trojan attack error forced a USC timeout at 20-18. With three Staniszewska kills and a Hardison kill, MSU tied the set at 22-22 before back-to-back USC points got the Trojans to set point at 24-22. The Spartans fought off two USC set points with a pair of Bankston kills, but a USC kill and MSU attack error ended the third in favor of the Trojans, 26-24.

USC took a one-point lead at 8-7 in the fourth set before the Spartans went on a 5-0 run to force a Trojan timeout at 12-8. MSU extended its run to 6-0 with a Staniszewska kill out of the timeout and used a kill from Waye and USC attack error to take a six-point, 15-9 advantage at the media timeout. Back-to-back Staniszewska kills out of the timeout then stretched the MSU lead to eight at 17-9. The Trojans called timeout after a dump from Long and Hardison kill gave the Spartans a 20-12 lead before the Trojans used a 3-1 run to cut the lead to six. The Trojans stopped MSU's first set point after a Bankston kill and USC attack error at 24-17 before a kill from Ogden ended the set to send the teams to a fifth, 25-18.

MSU called a timeout after USC used a 3-0 run to take a 5-3 lead in the fifth. The Spartans responded to take a one-point, 7-6 lead before a 3-1 USC run gave the Trojans a one-point lead. The Spartans fired off back-to-back kills from Ogden and Staniszewska to force a USC timeout and extended their lead to two at 11-9 with a USC error out of the timeout. MSU forced another USC after a USC error, Staniszewska kill and Ogden solo block at 13-10 and finished off the match with back-to-back Staniszewska kills, 15-11.

Up next, MSU returns home to host Oregon on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Breslin Center. The match will stream on B1G+.