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Without one of its key players, and while transitioning to a new offense and different positions, Utah did what it could against No. 1 USC on Sunday.

It improved.

The top-ranked Trojans (18-0, 6-0 Pac-12) rolled to a straight-sets win at the Huntsman Center, 25-17, 25-15 and 25-22, led by 17 thundering kills from outside hitter Samantha Bricio — perhaps the nation's best player, in the opinion of Utah head coach Beth Launiere.

But in a Utah team (7-10, 1-5 Pac-12) that lost six key seniors last season and sat out sophomore outside hitter Eliza Katoa, Launiere found a lot to like.

"We felt like all the things that we set out to do, we did pretty well today," she said. "It's not showing up in the win/loss column, but we're very encouraged and positive."

The Utes shifted from a 6-2 offense to a 5-1, with redshirt freshman Jessie Jorgensen as all-time setter in the front row to offset the loss of the well-rounded Katoa, and sophomore Carly Trueman took a while to find her timing in Katoa's stead on the left side of Utah's attack.

The Utes committed 12 errors in the first set, seven in the second and just four in the hard-fought third — when Utah trailed just 22-21 before the Trojans pulled away and closed with an emphatic Bricio kill.

Sophomore Adora Anae led the Utes with 16 kills and redshirt freshman setter Jessie Jorgensen notched 25 assists and 11 digs.

Launiere was pleased with Utah's defensive effort, which also included catlike reactions from redshirt freshman Caroline Sipiora (11 digs), senior Tess Sutton (nine digs) and freshman Megan Shughrou (eight digs).

Acrobatic saves were required, Launiere said, against the likes of Bricio, especially in the service game, where Utah limited the USC senior to two aces.

"You don't see a serve like that," Launiere said. "Nobody serves like that in the world, probably."

USC, having just received one of its season's sternest tests during a five-set win in Boulder, also outblocked the Utes 10-3 and hit purposefully and powerfully.

Katoa is still on the mend after tearing her ACL last season. Launiere said there's nothing majorly wrong with Katoa's knee, but that she was in worsening pain and had done a good job of hiding it until Utah's four-set loss to UCLA on Friday.

"We're just going to keep her down for a while until she heals," Launiere said.

Utah continues a four-game homestand against California-based teams at 8 p.m. Friday, hosting No. 7 Stanford, followed on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first serve against Cal.

Twitter: @matthew_piper