USC Men's Volleyball Returns Home To Host No. 4 UC Irvine

THE FACTS
The USC men's volleyball team (6-15 overall, 2-6 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)--having won 2 of its past 3 matches--returns home for just one match this week, hosting former MPSF opponent No. 4 UC Irvine (16-5, 3-1 Big West) in a non-conference contest on Saturday (March 24) at 7 p.m. PT in the Galen Center. USC's 1980 NCAA championship team will be honored prior to the match.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS
All of USC's home matches are video- and audio-streamed live for free on USCTrojans.com and the TuneIn Radio app, except for matches televised live on Pac-12 Network (those matches only are audio-streamed). Some of USC's road matches are audiocast live on USCTrojans.com and the TuneIn Radio app. USC's online announcers are onetime Northeastern player/Winthrop assistant coach Paul Duchesne and ex-Trojan player Paul Yoder (one of 6 Yoders to have played volleyball at USC). Fans can also follow USC home matches through Live Stats at USCTrojans.com and all matches via Twitter (@USCmensvolley).

RANKINGS
USC is not ranked in the current AVCA Division I-II Top 15 poll. UC Irvine is No. 4.

OPPONENTS
USC leads its series with UC Irvine, 39-31. The Trojans lost the latest meeting, 3-0 at Irvine in January.

1980 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM HONORED
USC's 1980 NCAA championship team will be honored prior to Saturday's (March 24) match versus UC Irvine. In 1980, the Trojans and head coach Ernie Hix found themselves in their third Final Four in 4 years. USC defeated UCLA in 4 games (15-7, 6-15, 15-13, 15-8) to win its second NCAA Championship. Troy (22-6), one of the best teams in college volleyball history, featured 3 future Olympic gold medalists (Dusty Dvorak, Steve Timmons and Pat Powers) and a 3-time All-American first teamer (Tim Hovland). Powers went on to coach the Trojans from 1997 to 2002. Hovland, Dvorak and Powers were All-American first team selections that year, with Dvorak earning NCAA All-Tournament team MVP honors.

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