Coach John Hawks said his team would not need extra motivation coming into their crosstown rival’s home.

But that did not mean the Bruins would not be tested.

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (15-0, 4-0 MPSF) downed No. 5 USC (8-2, 1-1) in five sets at the Galen Center on Tuesday night, marking UCLA’s third five-set road win against a top-five opponent this season. Hawks is now one game shy of tying the best start of program history in just his second year at the helm.

The Bruins began the 1998 campaign 16-0, and they have the opportunity to match that program record Friday night at Pauley Pavilion in a crosstown rivalry rematch.

After UCLA was swept in its last regular-season finale against USC, the team emphasized its focus on itself going into Tuesday’s affair.

“Just have to focus on our side of the net,” said senior outside hitter Zach Rama. “We know how good we can be when we take care of our side, our touches. We don’t worry about the other side of the net.”

After its win over No. 4 UC Irvine on Feb. 27, UCLA has emphasized good passing-off serves and opposing teams’ hits to set up its offense. This focus prevents senior setter Andrew Rowan from being forced out of system.

[Related: UCLA men’s volleyball maintains perfect record in defensive win over UC Irvine]

While the Trojans held the advantage in service aces, with seven to the Bruins’ three, four of them came in just the first two sets.

Hawks said he felt the passing improved from the previous week, with his squad settling into its nerves following the first set by leaning into communication.

And the improved passing was evident, with Rowan notching a season-high 59 assists – just two shy of his career-high.

The Trabuco Canyon, California, local has spearheaded the nation’s second-most efficient offense behind his unbeaten assists-per-set mark, finding multiple offensive options throughout the crosstown showdown. The pin-hitter duo of Rama and sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly were early targets through the first set, putting strong pressure on both sides of the net.

“Being thrown in a different position that I haven’t played before, having to learn new shots, it’s just helped my game tremendously,” Rama said about having played opposite last season. “There’s still one rotation where I’m over there on the right, and I’m feeling more comfortable than I’ve been over there.”

Kelly has excelled as of late, setting a career-high in kills in consecutive games and notching 19 against the Anteaters on Feb. 27 before logging 21 against the Trojans. The Manhattan Beach, California, local has especially grown in his connection on the bic with Rowan, expanding his range of impact and contributing to his .526 attacking clip Tuesday.

After holding a six-point advantage in the middle of the fourth set, a momentum shift in favor of the Trojans helped force sudden death with the game on line.

Hawks noted the Trojans’ decision to float serve in that stretch did little to rattle the Bruins’ passing. However, his squad did not approach the ball how they wanted to, garnering five attacking errors that brought an initial 18-12 tally to run even at 21-21.

But finds by Rowan to his outside duo brought in a pair of kills from Rama and Kelly before a solo block from senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne sealed the fourth set to set up the eventual fifth-frame victory.

“Honestly, just like it did last year, I would say it rattled me in the start,” Rowan said of USC’s defense. “Just not being able to do what we normally do. My coaching staff helped me, and I talked to the players, and we were able to figure out how to get our middles into space. Somewhere along that fourth set, we really figured it out.”

Between two near 7-foot middle blockers and a libero who logged six digs in the first set, the Bruins were slow to find an offensive rhythm, swinging for just a .176 hitting percentage despite tallying four attacking errors on 34 total attempts.

After falling in the first stanza, UCLA saw increased efficiency from the right side, with redshirt junior opposite David Decker tallying six kills in the second set after just one in the opening frame. Thorne joined the late-game efforts with four kills in the fifth set, totaling 11 to go alongside four blocks that energized the Bruins in an adversarial arena.

And with Rowan’s 5-0 serving run opening the closing set, the Bruins were able to clinch the match by a comfortable six points just moments after the back-and-forth affair in the fourth frame that ended 30-28.

UCLA’s ability to rise to the occasion has been a resounding theme all year, especially as the squad gets deeper into conference play. Across the three games, UCLA has played to five sets and have won the last stanza by an average of five points despite a negative point differential across the other 12 sets.

“I was going to say, naturally, it happens when you have the amount of talent we have on our team – guys are going to show up in clutch moments and perform,” Rowan said. “But, honestly, it’s something that needs to be trained. Our team is doing a fantastic job of, when it gets tough, we stay in. We’re not making dumb errors in crunch time.”