LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Fort Valley State University Men's Volleyball (1-3) dropped a 3–0 decision to No. 4 USC (4-0) Saturday evening.
The Trojans opened the match with a seven-point run before a service error put the Wildcats on the board. Fort Valley State capitalized on a pair of USC miscues to trim the deficit to 10–4, but USC responded with a six-point run to extend the lead to 19–6. FVSU answered with back-to-back points on a service error and a block by
Taviian Martin and
Logan Rogers to make it 19–8. The teams traded points down the stretch, with a Trojan kill sealing a 25–14 win in the opening set.
The Wildcats came out firing in the second frame, scoring the first two points highlighted by a Rogers service ace. After USC answered, FVSU built a 4–1 advantage on a
Keaton Long kill and later pushed its lead to 7–2 following a
Muhammad Mbaye kill. Fort Valley State held its largest lead of the match at 15–13 before USC used a 4–1 run to tie the set at 16. The lead went back and forth until the score was knotted at 20, when the Trojans closed the set on a 5–1 run to secure the 25–22 win.
Set three featured another strong start from the Wildcats, who jumped ahead 5–3 following three Trojan attack errors. FVSU extended the advantage to 12–8 after outscoring USC 5–1, capped by back-to-back kills from
Isaiah Fedd and Rogers. USC responded with a four-point run to narrow the margin to 14–13, but attack errors allowed the Wildcats to regain a 16–13 edge. Fort Valley State maintained the lead until a five-point Trojan run gave USC a 22–21 advantage. Fedd delivered a kill to tie the set at 22, but USC closed on three straight points to take the final set, 25–22.
Fedd led the Wildcats offensively with a team-high 11 kills, while Rogers paced the attack with 16 assists.
Jaeden Barnes led the defensive effort with five digs, followed by
Jeremy Jacob Gray with four. At the net, Long, Martin, and Mbaye each recorded four block assists, accounting for 12 of FVSU's 19 total blocks.
The Wildcats continue their West Coast trip on Monday, January 26, when they face CSUN at 6 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. EST.
