The Ohio State men’s volleyball team huddles together during a 3-1 loss to Loyola Chicago at the Covelli Center Mar. 2. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Photographer

Ohio State remained undefeated against USC in the regular season with a late-night victory.

The No. 8 Buckeyes (15-4, 8-2 MIVA) bested the No. 12 Trojans (10-9, 2-4 MPSF) on Friday in Los Angeles. 

Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur led the Ohio State offense with 15 kills, and sophomore opposite hitter Shane Wetzel followed with 11. Senior libero Thomas Poole led defensively with seven digs while redshirt-senior setter Michael Wright facilitated with 35 assists. 

Set one began with an Ohio State service error, giving USC the first point of the game. The two teams traded points until a kill from sophomore outside hitter Dillon Klein gave the Trojans an 11-9 lead. 

A kill by redshirt-junior opposite hitter Jack Deuchar extended the USC lead to five, and the Trojans held that lead as a Buckeye attack error set the score at 20-15. An Ohio State service error set USC at set point, but a 3-0 run for the Buckeyes brought them back within two. 

Despite the late run, an Ohio State net violation gave the Trojans the 25-22 first set victory. 

The Buckeyes grabbed an 8-4 lead to start the second set, spearheaded by kills from Pasteur and Wetzel. A pair of points by junior outside hitter Kyle Teune extended the lead to seven. 

A Wetzel service ace led to a 17-7 score, and Ohio State reached 20 off a USC error. An ace by Wright and another Trojan error gave the Buckeyes a 13-point lead and placed them at set point. 

A Pasteur kill handed Ohio State the decisive 25-11 second set win. 

The third set began with a 5-3 lead for USC, fueled by a slam from freshman middle blocker Wesley Smith. A service ace by freshman setter Caleb Blanchette extended the lead to four. 

The Buckeyes chiseled away at the Trojans’ lead, as a Wetzel ace and Wright kill set the score at 17-16. A Pasteur termination evened the score at 18. A service ace by junior middle blocker Cole Young put Ohio State ahead by one, but Deuchar answered with double kills to give USC the 21-20 lead. 

The lead once again shifted to the Buckeyes as a Trojan service error placed them at set point. A USC attack error ended the set with a 25-23 victory for Ohio State.

Looking to finish things off in the fourth, the Buckeyes snagged a 4-2 lead. A Teune termination extended the lead to four, forcing a Trojan timeout. Ohio State held a consistent lead as a Wetzel kill pushed the score to 15-11. Two USC attack errors expanded the gap to five as the Buckeyes reached 20. 

Triple terminations by Klein brought the score within two, forcing an Ohio State timeout. Two Trojan errors followed, putting the Buckeyes at set and match point.

A Young service ace finished off the fifth with a 25-20 Ohio State win and a 3-1 match victory. 

The Buckeyes continue play in the Big Ten /Pac-12 Challenge with a match against No. 4 UCLA on Sunday at 8 p.m. The game can be streamed on Pac 12 Plus.