BERKELEY – California volleyball posted its biggest win of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating traditional powerhouse USC 3-1 in Haas Pavilion.
 
The Golden Bears (13-6, 2-6 Pac-12) snapped a 14-match losing streak against USC (11-7, 5-3) for their first win in the series since 2014 and the first in four-or-fewer sets since 2010.
 
The Trojans ranked among the NCAA's top-50 teams in three offensive categories, including 24th in team hitting percentage (.270) entering the weekend. USC's powerful attack was quelled by Cal's defense, however, which held the Trojans to a .228 clip. Seniors Tara DeSa and Sam Taumoepeau played key roles in the defensive presence, posting 22 and 12 digs, respectively.
 
Junior Annalea Maeder made a huge impact by recording stats in all five categories, matching her career high with six kills while also posting 35 assists, two service aces, nine digs and one block. Sophomore Mikayla Hayden was once again remarkably efficient with 10 kills on .500 hitting – her second straight performance with double-digit kills – while freshman Xuemeng (Maggie) Li paced the Bears with 17 kills and added seven digs. Helping to round out Cal's defensive effort was junior Ellie Hamm, who posted a career-high six digs and was responsible for two of Cal's blocks.
 
"It took every person on the team for us to win that match," interim head coach Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd said. "We played scrappy defense and challenged USC in many ways. I was proud of our grit. We served well and executed on both sides of the ball today."
 
The first set was the best one for the Bears both offensively and defensively as they hit .500 to USC's .120. USC scored first and kept things close early on, but a 4-0 scoring run for Cal brought the score to 12-9 and triggered a Trojans timeout. One point later, the Bears started another 3-0 run, followed shortly afterward by a 5-0 run to go up 22-12; the final sequence, which included one of Maeder's favored tip kills and an ace from DeSa, was capped off with kill number four from Li to seal set one at 25-14.
 
Cal scored first in the second set but found itself in a hole quickly after three straight points from USC. The Bears responded soon afterwards with three kills from Hayden and another from Li to go on a 4-0 run and take the lead for good at 9-7. They slowly increased that advantage with another pair of 3-0 runs and were able to maintain a steady scoring pace despite multiple USC timeouts. It was Hayden that closed the door on the second set, 25-21, with her eighth kill of the match to give Cal a 2-0 lead.
 
Although USC rebounded in the third set, scoring first and out-hitting the Bears .297 to .059 to earn a 25-15 set win of their own, the Blue & Gold bounced back in the fourth by racing out to a quick 11-5 lead thanks in part to five kills from Li and a solo block from Hayden. Taumoepeau posted a highlight-reel moment shortly afterward by capping off a rally with an impressive dig that sailed across the net and hit the floor to make the score 14-8. USC threatened to come back with a pair of scoring runs, cutting Cal's lead to three at 18-15, but Maeder posted two more tip-overs to help her team stretch the advantage back out to 23-18. To seal the deal, the Bears repeated what they had done in their first Pac-12 win this season, repeatedly sending the ball left to Li – once again, she delivered with kill number 17 to clinch the set, 25-21, and the match.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will be back on the road next weekend, first traveling to Eugene, Oregon, to face the No. 5 Ducks (16-3, 6-2 Pac-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. PT before heading to Corvallis, Oregon, to match up with Oregon State (7-11, 2-6 Pac-12) on Sunday at noon.
 
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