Ducks Drop Road Test at No. 22 USC

Thursday, October 9

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

11-4,2-3Big Ten

USC

11-4,2-3Big Ten

Oregon

Southern California

10/09/25 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Freshman opposite Alanah Clemente led all players with 13 kills Thursday evening.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Alanah Clemente and Valentina Vaulet each put down double-digit kills but the Oregon volleyball team fell to No. 22 USC Thursday night at the Galen Center. Clemente led all players with 13 kills followed by Vaulet with 11. With the result, the Ducks are now 11-4 this season with a 2-3 record in Big Ten play.

The Trojans used runs in the middle of each set to come away with the 25-18, 25-21, 25-20 win.

Clemente has tallied 10 or more kills in nine matches this season including the last four. The freshman opposite also picked up a season-high seven digs against USC. Vaulet continued her efficient play from the pins, hitting .333 (11-4-22) in the match. In the middle, freshman Holley McFadden added five kills and three blocks.

How It Happened: USC (11-4, 2-3) won the first four points of the match but facing a 10-7 deficit, the Ducks rattled off five in a row to take a 12-10 lead. McFadden capped the run with a block along side Vaulet and a kill. However, the Trojans answered immediately with a six-point surge to grab the lead with the help of two aces from Dani Thomas-Nathan.

The home team led by as many as eight points down the stretch before closing out the first set.

Thomas-Nathan finished the night with four aces and the Trojans matched their season high with 10 service winners in the match. Oregon had given up a previous high of nine.

The beginning of the second set was a back-and-forth struggle before the Ducks began to edge ahead and led 13-10 with the help of an SC miscue. But in a similar fashion to the first, the home team used a run of points, this time an 8-2 push, to regain its lead. Out of a timeout, Oregon pulled to within one on kills by Iva Sucurovic and Vaulet; USC led, 18-17.

However, a four-point surge by the Trojans was the difference in the set. Vaulet saved a set point but USC won the next rally with the help of a service error.

In the third, Oregon and USC battled their way to a 10-10 tie before the Trojans pulled away with a 7-2 push, closing out the decisive move with back-to-back aces. The Ducks chipped away and got to within three—USC up 21-18—after a dig-kill effort by libero Natalie Fukumoto but the home team went on to close out the match with a kill by London Wijay who led USC with 12 kills.

Notable: First match of the season without an ace; previous low was one against Montana State (Aug. 31) … fifth match of the season for Cora Taylor—26 assists, nine digs—to finish one dig shy of a double-double … first straight-set loss to USC since 2019.

Up Next: Oregon plays its next three matches at Matthew Knight Arena beginning this Sunday, Oct. 12, when it hosts Washington at 1 p.m. The Ducks' home stand also includes Minnesota (Oct. 17) and Penn State (Oct. 18). Click HERE to buy tickets.

For more news and information about Oregon Volleyball, follow @OregonVB on Instagram and Twitter, and @OregonVolleyball on Facebook.