USC heads back to the Midwest this week with a pair of Big Ten road matches that will test a Trojans team looking to stop a skid and steady itself under interim leadership.
The Women of Troy, 7-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play, face No. 16 Purdue on Friday night, Oct. 9, at 8:30 p.m.
ET/5:30 p.m. PT at Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind.
Two days later, USC takes on No. 15 Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 2 p.m.
ET/11 a.m. PT at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
Both matches will air live on Big Ten Network, and the USC-Indiana matchup is part of the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge.
USC enters the week with a three-match losing streak, its longest of the season. The Trojans have not dropped more than three straight since a six-match skid in 2021.
This week also marks a new chapter on the sideline. USC is led by fourth-year associate head coach Megan Moenoa, who was named the Trojans' interim head coach on Oct. 5, 2026.
The schedule offers no easy landing spot. Purdue is 8-5 and also 1-3 in conference play, while Indiana comes in at 10-3 and 3-1.
USC has handled trips to Indiana well over the years, though, going 12-2 all-time in the state. That includes a 7-1 mark in West Lafayette and a 1-0 record in Bloomington.
The Trojans also carry a strong blocking profile into the weekend. USC leads the Big Ten with 2.96 blocks per set and ranks sixth nationally. The team has reached double-digit blocks in seven matches this season.
Individually, junior middle blocker Mia Tvrdy has been a major force at the net, ranking second in the Big Ten with 1.41 blocks per set, which places her 24th in the NCAA. Redshirt junior middle blocker Leah Ford is right behind her in the league standings at 1.26 blocks per set, good for sixth in the conference.
Offensively, sophomore opposite Abigail Mullen leads USC with 3.80 points per set. Redshirt junior outside hitter London Wijay is next at 3.47 points per set.
The Trojans have the edge in both all-time series, though recent results have tilted the other way. USC leads Purdue 6-2, but dropped the last meeting 3-0 on Oct. 4, 2025, at Galen Center. Against Indiana, USC holds a 3-1 series advantage after a 3-1 loss on Oct. 3, 2025, also at Galen Center.
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USC Linebackers Just Changed A Big Concern Before Penn State
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Penn State now looms as the kind of test that can either steady the conversation or deepen it, with a hostile road crowd waiting and little margin for another flat showing. Since joining the Big Ten in 2024, USC has not looked comfortable outside its own stadium, and that history is what makes this next trip feel bigger than just another game on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]