USC Volleyball Coach Opens Up About Nebraska After Cornhuskers Snap Streak

The USC Trojans’ nine-match surge ended with a sweep by the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, but Brad Keller’s message was blunt: no excuses, no moral victories. The loss, he said, highlights the standard USC must rediscover as it heads into the final stretch.

USC Trojans coach Brad Keller London Wijay Nebraska Cornhuskers Taylor Landfair Big Ten conference women's volleyball | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

When USC women’s volleyball walked off the Galen Center floor on Sunday, there was no mistaking Brad Keller’s tone. The No. 17 Trojans had just been swept by the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, snapping a nine-match winning streak and halting one of the program’s most confident stretches of the season.

But Keller wasn’t searching for silver linings. He wasn’t softening the blow. He wasn’t dressing up a difficult afternoon. He was owning it.

Oct 25, 2024; Lincoln, NE, USA; The Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrate after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“Congratulations to Nebraska. They are the real deal… they showed that tonight from 0.1 to the very, very end,” Keller said, acknowledging the level the Cornhuskers brought with their .400 hitting performance.

He praised their staff, their execution, and the record-setting 9,072 fans that packed the Galen Center. But he didn’t hide from what frustrated him most.

“I’m disappointed in the fact that I just felt like we just didn’t really show up until midway through the third,” he said. “That comes back to coaching. I think that I could have done a better job of preparing.”

That honesty set the tone for the entire postgame message. USC wasn’t outclassed from a talent standpoint — Keller refused to let the team slip into that narrative. What he emphasized instead was standard, identity, and accountability, beginning with himself.

A “Painful Gift,” Not a Crisis

Oct 25, 2024; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Harper Murray (27) attacks against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third set at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Even in a match where Nebraska controlled the pace after the opening exchanges, Keller refused to label the loss anything more than an opportunity — though a brutally honest one.

“This is a tough lesson for us… It’s not the end of the world. It’s one game and it’s what I call a painful gift in the fact that that team showed us exactly what we need to do and we know how to get there.”

That framing aligned with the match itself. USC had moments.

- London Wijay collected her fifth double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.

- Adonia Faumuina added nine kills. - Freshman setter Reese Messer moved the offense with 27 assists and seven digs.

- Rylie McGinest hit .400 on limited attempts.

USC’s third set was their sharpest — forcing six Nebraska errors and battling to a 25–20 finish. But Keller avoided moral victory talk with precision.

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“I don’t believe in silver linings and I don’t believe in moral victories… for me personally it’s about wins and losses. If we don’t execute, we go back to the drawing board. We work on those things. We get better and we execute.”

Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly helps her team warm up ahead of their Final Four match against Pittsburgh at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Dec. 19, 2024. | Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC’s nine-match win streak — the longest conference stretch of Keller’s tenure — was over, but he made clear the standard wasn’t.

He pointed back to the consistency, effort, and competitiveness that fueled USC’s climb up the Big Ten standings — the traits that define this group when it’s at its best. Keller reiterated that their identity isn’t tied to streaks or rankings but to how they play: “We play with joy… coordinated, athletic, fast… with relationships, grit, and gratitude. Relentless. Play with your hair on fire.”

Those standards, he said, don’t get rewritten because of one result. Instead, they become even more important as the Trojans move into the final stretch of conference play.

Next Up: A Chance to Respond

USC returns to action Wednesday night in Eugene to face Oregon — an immediate chance to show what they learned and how quickly they can reset. As Keller put it, the goal now is simple: execute, improve, and move forward with urgency, not excuses.

With conference positioning tightening and postseason play approaching, the Trojans don’t need moral victories. They need answers. And Keller made clear they know exactly where to start.