As Zach Rama stepped up to the service line, the junior outside hitter was bombarded with a cacophony of screams and taunts.

But this wasn’t a match-clinching point.

It was just the Bruins’ very first serve, and it would be heckled like each and every one following it.

In the second leg of the crosstown rivalry, No. 5 USC men’s volleyball (20-6, 8-4 MPSF) swept No. 2 UCLA (20-5, 10-2) on Saturday at the Galen Center. Though the defeat snapped a 10-game win streak against the Trojans, the Bruins are still projected as the No. 1 seed in this season’s MPSF tournament.

On the heels of a five-set defeat Thursday night and after honoring their seniors, Trojans fans released antagonistic jeers to every Bruin possession.

“Going forward, we have to be ready for environments like this,” said coach John Hawks. “USC is a great place to simulate an environment like that, but there’s nothing like being in the Final Four and simulating the pressure in that moment, so this is no pressure at all. The disappointing part is we didn’t come out and execute at the level that we know we’re capable of.”

UCLA outhit USC with 64 kills on a .372 hitting percentage Thursday night compared to an opposing 44 kills and .221 clip. On Saturday evening, USC reversed that narrative, trumping UCLA’s .338 hitting percentage with a .426 clip.

Although the Bruins’ hitting percentage improved with each set, nine errors in the first set undermined what could have been an extension of Thursday’s attacking prowess.

And after a career-high 25 kills in his last outing, redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson was held to just nine kills – his first single-digit performance since April 4 and only his sixth such performance of the year.

“We didn’t play like a team that is the defending champions,” Hawks said. “That’s something we’re going to have to address this week.”

Rama was the only Bruin to eclipse double-digit kills, striking 18 on a .500 hitting percentage clip. Since moving to the opposite spot, Rama has accumulated at least 18 kills in three of the last five contests, amassing above a .450 clip efficiency in four of those affairs.

Rama also garnered two digs and a block assist Saturday, building on the four digs and two blocks he posted Thursday.

“A lot of things have gone well for Zach,” Hawks said. “He wants it just like everybody does. Zach’s a guy that, when you put a little pressure on him, he rises to the occasion.”

In further blunders, five Bruins committed at least three service errors for a team total of 19.

“We’ve got to serve the ball better,” said junior setter Andrew Rowan. “We’ve got to play better defense. If we do those two things a little bit better, then the result will take care of itself.”

The hosts displayed a far more balanced attack – with five Trojans tallying at least five kills, three of whom boasted a hitting percentage above .500.

Defensively, the Trojans outmatched the Bruins with six more blocks and two more digs.

“I need to get more digs for the team,” said redshirt junior libero Matthew Aziz. “I need to fly around more. As a team, we need to run our offense better, tighten some screws, dig some more balls and coordinate the front and back row the whole game.”

Despite Aziz’s singular dig – his fewest since March 7 – the redshirt junior finished the regular season with 77 digs, an improvement from 71 in the year before.

“Defense is all about effort and attitude,” Aziz said. “Even if they’re pouncing the ball, they’re passing dimes, and they’re running down the middle of the court. You could still play tremendous defense if you have a good attitude and you don’t let the last plays bring you down.”

With a 20-win regular season under their belts, the Bruins will head to Pepperdine for a chance to reclaim the MPSF title after falling short last year.

“Our guys are fully capable of going out and winning this conference championship and representing the MPSF in the tournament,” Hawks said. “We’re going to go back to work and take this a day at a time and keep getting 1% better.”