No. 12 USC Men's Volleyball Meets No. 2 UCLA For Crosstown Showdown

LOS ANGELES – The 12th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (8-13, 1-7 MPSF) looks to snap a six-match losing streak when it takes on No. 2 UCLA (23-2, 8-0) for two rivalry matches this week. The Trojans and Bruins meet for the 149th time when the teams take the court at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday (April 6) and then meet for a rematch on Saturday (April 8) at Galen Center. Both contests are set for 7 p.m. PT and will both be shown live on Pac-12 Los Angeles. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Trojans seek to generate momentum heading into the MPSF tournament. USC currently sits in a sixth-place tie with Concordia.

THIS WEEK
No. 12 USC (8-13, 1-7 MPSF) vs. No. 2 UCLA (23-2, 8-0 MPSF)

MATCH #22 • Thursday, April 6 • 7 p.m. PT
Pauley Pavilon • Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles (Anner Marie Anderson)

MATCH #23 • Saturday, April 8 • 7 p.m. PT
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles (Brian Webber)

SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 46-102 (.311)
LAST MEETING: L 3-2 (April 2, 2022 • Pauley Pavilion)
STREAK: Lost 4 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 4-6
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCLABruins.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 12th in the AVCA Div I-II Coaches Poll. USC has played 15 matches (of 21) against ranked opponents this season.
Freshman OH Dillon Klein leads the Trojans in kills (3.68 kps) and points (4.18 pps) with 18 matches in double-digit points.
All-American OPP Simon Gallas ranks 10th in the MPSF for points (3.44 pps) and is 12th with 2.79 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 2.42 kps and 2.90 pps.
MB Lucas Frassrand returns after an All-America honorable mention campaign as a junior. His 0.87 blocks per set rank fifth in the MPSF.
MB Kyle Paulson leads the team in blocks (third in the MPSF ) with 1.00 bps and ranks 17th 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 went on the road for a pair of MPSF matches in Provo, Utah, but fell to seventh-ranked BYU twice in four-set decisions, extending the team's losing streak to a season-long six contests. OH Dillon Klein led the team in each match with 17 and 18 points on back-to-back nights. LIB George Dyer reached double-digit digs for the fourth time this season with 10 on the first night, and MB Kyle Paulson totaled 10 blocks over the two matches.

CROSSTOWN CONNECT: USC head coach Jeff Nygaard was a two-time National Player of the Year as a student-athlete at UCLA. Trojan director of operations Virginia Pham served as a manager for all three of UCLA's volleyball programs from 2012-15 while she was an undergraduate. Graduate OH Kevin Kobrine transferred to USC from UCLA following four seasons with the Bruins.

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Players Mentioned

George Dyer

Lucas Frassrand

Simon Gallas

Dillon Klein

Kevin Kobrine

Sam Kobrine

Kyle Paulson