PROVO, Utah — No. 10 BYU defeated No. 4 USC in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 25-17) at the Smith Fieldhouse Friday night. The victory marked the Cougars’ first win over a top-five opponent since defeating UCLA in 2024.
“We’ve been close in matches against top-five teams all season, so it was nice to finally finish one,” said Trent Moser, BYU senior outside hitter. “This win is huge ... beating a team ranked above us gives us confidence and momentum.”
BYU was led offensively by Connor Oldani, who tallied 18 kills on a .351 hitting percentage. Trent Moser added 16 kills while hitting .364 and Trevor Herget contributed 12 kills on an efficient .421 clip. AJ Cottle paced the Cougars at the net with five total blocks.
BYU hit .328 as a team and held USC to .202, the Trojans' lowest hitting percentage of the season.
Tyler Herget orchestrated the Cougar offense with a season-high 55 assists. It was his third match this season with 50 or more assists. Herget also contributed seven digs and two block assists in the win.
With nine digs on the night, Jackson Fife moved into 10th place all-time in BYU program history for career digs, further anchoring the Cougars’ defensive effort.
The Cougars rebounded after dropping the second set. Momentum shifted drastically at the end of the third set when the Cougars fought off a USC set point and then battled through deuce points to win on BYU's fifth set point. BYU then dominated the fourth frame and closed the match on a USC service error to secure the 3-1 victory.
Set 1
BYU opened the match with a kill from Oldani off an assist by Tyler Herget, setting the tone for the Cougar offense. Herget orchestrated the attack early, connecting with Moser for multiple kills, including one following a save from Fife to tie the score at 4-4.
The Cougars built momentum midway through the frame behind Herget’s distribution. Kills from Gavin Chambers, Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga and Cottle helped BYU take a 13-10 lead. USC responded with a late push to even the score at 13-13, but a double block from Herget and Chambers knotted the set again at 14-14 before the Trojans edged ahead 15-14 at the media timeout.
Out of the break, BYU battled back in a tightly contested stretch. Cottle, Moser and Chambers delivered key kills, while Tufuga converted multiple swings down the stretch to give the Cougars a 23-22 advantage. After a Trojan service error brought up set point, Tufuga sealed the set with a kill from the left side to secure a 25-23 BYU victory.
Herget led the Cougar offense with 15 assists in the opening frame. BYU ended the set on a 6-2 run.
Coming into tonight’s match, USC had won eight consecutive matches. The first-set loss tonight was just the second set lost by the Trojans in their last 27 sets.
Set 2
USC opened the second set with momentum, jumping out to an early 8-4 lead behind aggressive swings and service pressure. Oldani was issued a yellow card during the opening stretch. After a BYU timeout, the Cougars responded as Oldani recorded their first kill of the frame, while an ace from Cottle and consecutive Oldani kills, assisted by Herget, ignited the comeback.
BYU used a 6-2 run to tie the set at 10-10, highlighted by a triple block from Cottle, Herget and Tufuga, a kill from Moser and a solo block from Oldani. Oldani capped the surge with another kill off a Herget assist, forcing a USC timeout. The Cougars later took a 14-12 lead behind a Moser tap and a double block from Cottle and Oldani.
The Trojans responded with a late push to move ahead 17-15, but BYU answered out of a timeout with a Tufuga kill to knot the set at 17-17. USC regained control with a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 advantage. BYU trimmed the deficit behind a kill from Oldani, a left-side finish from Trevor Herget off a set from his brother and another from Cottle to make it 22-20. The Trojans maintained its composure down the stretch, closing out the set 25-20 to even the match at one set apiece.
Set 3
BYU opened the third set with momentum, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind kills from Trevor Herget and Oldani. Moser added another early finish, while additional kills from Oldani and Trevor Herget helped the Cougars maintain a 6-4 advantage. USC responded to tie the score, but BYU regained control behind strong net play and steady distribution from Tyler Herget.
Back-to-back double blocks from Moser and Cottle gave the Cougars a 12-10 edge, and the teams traded points through the middle stretch. A kill from Moser off an assist from Fife pushed BYU ahead 19-18, and a double block from Cottle and Moser extended the lead to 20-18. Cottle later added another kill to give BYU a 21-19 advantage before USC rallied to even the set at 21.
The closing points featured a dramatic back-and-forth battle with multiple set points. USC took a 24-23 lead, but the Cougars fought off the set point and then Trevor Herget delivered a clutch service ace to give BYU a 25-24 lead, while Chambers added a kill off a Tyler Herget assist to keep the Cougars in front. Oldani then recorded consecutive kills, including the set-clinching point off a set from Moser on BYU’s fifth set point, as BYU secured a thrilling 30-28 victory.
Set 4
BYU opened the fourth set with momentum as a pancake dig from Fife led to a Moser kill and a 1-0 advantage. The Cougars settled in early, with kills from Cottle, Moser and Trevor Herget helping BYU build a 9-7 lead. A double block from Trevor Herget and Chambers, followed by another Moser finish, highlighted the Cougars’ dominance at the net.
After the teams traded points to a 10-10 tie, BYU surged ahead. Trevor Herget sparked the run with a kill, and Oldani added another to push the Cougars in front 16-11 at the media timeout. BYU continued to apply pressure, forcing a USC timeout after extending the lead to 17-11, its largest of the match to that point.
The Cougars maintained control behind precise distribution from Tyler Herget. Consecutive kills from Oldani stretched the advantage to 19-12, and BYU later built a commanding 21-12 lead. Despite a brief Trojan rally fueled by Cougar service errors, Oldani delivered another kill off a Herget assist to make it 23-16, and Moser followed with a finish to bring up match point.
USC extended the set by one point, but a Trojan service error sealed the frame as BYU secured a 25-17 win to clinch the match, 3-1.
Up Next
BYU will conclude the series against No. 4 USC on Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m. MDT at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah. The match will be broadcast on BYUtv.org, the BYUtv App and nationally on the Big Ten Network. Live stats will be available, and tickets can be purchased through BYU Athletics.
The Cougars will also honor their seniors in a special Senior Night celebration following tomorrow night's match.