The Lindenwood men's volleyball team put a scare into No. 7 USC on Thursday night in Los Angeles, but the Trojans survived in four sets. The final scores were 25-27, 25-12, 26-24, and 25-15.
 
The Lions proved the match was going to be a battle early on after a 7-0 run in the first set gave them a 17-10 lead. USC came back though and had two set points, but Lindenwood recorded sideouts on both. After a Trojan error tied the set at 25, Logan Jarus recorded an ace, and Thomas Cruz and Kyle Overby had a block to give Lindenwood the win.
 
The second set was all USC as it had a .733 hitting percentage in the game and won by 13 points. The Trojans also had an early advantage in the third set, leading 15-11 at one point. Lindenwood went on an 11-4 spurt at that point, and eventually had three set points. In the turning point of the match though, the Trojans scored five straight to end the set.
 
In the final set, the Trojans went on another 5-0 run, this time grabbing an early 9-5 lead. The Lions would get within two twice, but could never get any closer than that. USC finished the match with a 13-5 run.
 
USC finished with 57 kills and a .319 hitting percentage, while Lindenwood had 44 kills and a .183 hitting mark. The Trojans also had three more blocks and eight more digs in the non-conference matchup.
 
Lindenwood received a game-high 16 kills from Colin Hackworth, who was second on the team with a .314 hitting percentage. Jarus finished with nine kills and he hit .571 for the night. Overby and Jake Duckworth both finished with eight kills.
 
Other team leaders for the Lions were Roman Seghezzi with 21 assists, Hackworth with two aces, Ryan Vorderer with 15 digs, and Jarus with four blocks.
 
Lindenwood falls to 6-7 on the season. The Lions will remain out west until Saturday when they face California Baptist.