No. 11 USC Men's Volleyball Resumes MPSF Schedule at No. 7 BYU

LOS ANGELES – The 11th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (8-11, 1-5 MPSF) resumes league play with a two-match road trip to face seventh-ranked BYU (14-6, 4-4) in Provo, Utah, this week. The Trojans and the Cougars will meet at Smith Fieldhouse on Thursday (March 30) and Friday (March 31) to close out the month. Both contests are set to be shown on BYU TV with first serve at 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT). USC has just six regular-season matches left to play as teams jockey for seeding ahead of the MPSF tournament (April 19-22). The Trojans will play four of those on the road and four against opponents ranked in the top 10. USC currently sits in a sixth-place tie with Concordia.

THIS WEEK
No. 11 USC (8-11, 1-5 MPSF) at No. 7 BYU (14-6, 4-4 MPSF)
Smith Fieldhouse • Provo, Utah

MATCH #20 • Thursday, March 30 • 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT)
LIVE STREAM: BYUtv App

MATCH #21 • Friday, March 31 • 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT)
LIVE STREAM: BYUtv

SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 25-48 (.342)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (March 5, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 3-7
OPPONENT WEBSITE: BYUCougars.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
The Trojans are currently ranked 11th in the AVCA Div I-II Coaches Poll. USC has played 13 matches (of 19) against ranked opponents this season.
Freshman OH Dillon Klein leads the Trojans in kills (3.63 kps) and points (4.16 pps) with 16 matches in double-digit points.
All-American OPP Simon Gallas ranks ninth in the MPSF for points (3.41 pps) and is 10th with 2.78 kills per set this spring.
All-American OH Kevin Kobrine--a grad transfer from UCLA--follows brother Sam Kobrine who also transferred after four years at UCLA in 2021. Kobrine is third on the team with 2.44 kps and 2.93 pps.
MB Lucas Frassrand returns after an All-America honorable mention campaign as a junior. His 0.90 blocks per set rank fifth in the MPSF.
MB Kyle Paulson leads the team in blocks (third in the MPSF ) with 0.97 bps and ranks 20th nationally.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS: All of USC's home matches at Galen Center are live streamed for free on USCTrojans.com except for matches televised live by the Pac-12 Networks. Fans also can follow USC home matches through live stats with links available at USCTrojans.com.

LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans broke from MPSF play for a pair of matches against Long Beach State last week. The Beach claimed a 3-0 sweep at home and then beat USC in four sets at Galen Center. The losses extended the Trojans' streak to four consecutive defeats and nine losses in their last 11 matches. At home, Nate Tennant notched the fifth double-double by a Trojan this season (the second of his career) with 29 assists and 15 digs. The teams split first and second sets with LBSU winning the first, 25-13, and USC the second, 25-14. The Beach eeked out a 27-25 win in the third and then completed the win with a 25-21 win in the fourth. Four Trojans reached double-digit points in the loss including Dillon Klein, Lucas Frassrand, Kevin Kobrine, and Simon Gallas.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened the season ranked 10th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. Following a 2-1 opening weekend, USC dropped one spot to 11th, but returned to the No. 10 spot on Jan. 16 and held that position for three straight weeks. The Trojans are once again ranked 11th in the latest coaches' poll.

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Players Mentioned

Lucas Frassrand

Simon Gallas

Dillon Klein

Kevin Kobrine

Sam Kobrine

Kyle Paulson

Nate Tennant