No. 5 USC Men's Volleyball Set For Top-Five Clashes with No. 2 UC Irvine

LOS ANGELES – The fifth-ranked USC men's volleyball team (9-0) meets No. 2 UC Irvine (8-0) for a home-and-home series of top-five clashes this week. The Trojans and Anteaters meet undefeated at Bren Events Center for a midweek match-up on Wednesday (Feb. 12) and then get together for a rematch on Friday (Feb. 14) at Galen Center. The match in Irvine will be shown live on ESPN+ and the Valentine's night clash will be carried by Big Ten Plus. The two matches are USC's last before it begins MPSF play. The Trojans lead the league in all statistical categories but service aces.

THIS WEEK
No. 5 USC (9-0, 0-0 MPSF) vs. No. 2 UC Irvine (8-0, 0-0 Big West)

MATCH #10 • Wednesday, Feb. 12 • 6 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center • Irvine, Calif.
TV/LIVE STREAM: ESPN+

MATCH #11 • Friday, Feb. 14 • 7 p.m. PT
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
TV/LIVE STREAM: Big Ten Plus (B1G+)

SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 43-36 (.544)
LAST MEETING: W 3-1 (Feb. 10, 2024 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 4-6
OPPONENT WEBSITE: UCIrvineSports.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by 10th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
The Trojans are ranked fifth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. USC reached fifth on Feb. 2, the team's highest ranking since it was also fifth on April 18, 2022.
USC is 9-0 to open a season for the first time since 1991 when the Trojans were 28-0 before taking their first loss.
The Trojans' nine-match win streak is the longest under Nygaard and is the longest since USC had an 18-match streak in 2012.
The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in five of their nine matches. USC's 3.07 blocks per set leads the NCAA.
Jr. OH Dillon Klein has reached double-digit kills in five matches and has had 46 double-digit matches in his career. His 4.35 kills per set lead the MPSF (3rd, NCAA) and he is first in points at 4.91 pps (6th, NCAA).
Fr. MB Parker Tomkinson leads the NCAA in hitting percentage (.589) and is fourth in blocks (1.37 bps). His 3.02 points per set rank 17th in the MPSF.
Redshirt So. OPP Noah Roberts ranks second in the MPSF for blocks (1.25 bps). He is USC's second-leading scorer at 3.75 points per set (12th, MPSF).
So. S Caleb Blanchette leads the MPSF and is third in the country for assists per set at 10.75 aps.
USC leads the MPSF in all statistical categories but service aces entering the week.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS: Regular-season home matches at Galen Center will be streamed live through the Big Ten Plus app and at BigTenPlus.com. Follow USC matches on live stats with links at USCTrojans.com.

LAST TIME OUT: USC improved to 9-0 with a dominating 3-0 sweep of Dominican. The streak extends to the Trojans' longest since an 18-match string of victories in 2012 and is the best start to a season since USC went 28-0 to open 1991. Dillon Klein scored nine kills against the Chargers to lead all scorers and did it in just one set of action while hitting .900. Sterling Foley added six kills and had a match-high six digs. Markus Olsson led all players with four blocks. When the dust had settled, the Trojans set a new school record and tied the MPSF's third-best single-match hitting percentage with a .691 performance against Dominican.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans were ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. In 2024, the poll expanded to 20 teams (previously 15). USC is currently ranked No. 5in the February 10 poll. The Trojans reached the fifth spot in the coach's poll on Feb. 3 to mark their highest position since they also ranked No. 5 in 2022 (April 18).

BIG BLOCK ENERGY: The Trojans' 3.07 blocks per set ranks first in both the MPSF and in the NCAA. USC has racked up double-digit blocks in five of its nine contests with 13 against Daemen, 11 against Princeton, 11.5 against Emmanuel, 13.5 at Ohio State, and a season-high 17 at CSUN. In two its matches below 10 blocks, USC had nine against D'Youville and at Central State. Four Trojan starters rank in the MPSF's top 25 for blocks led by MB Parker Tomkinson whose 1.37 bps also rank fourth in the NCAA. OPP Noah Roberts averages 1.25 bps and is second in the league and seventh in the nation. MB Guy Genis is seventh in the league at 1.05 bps. OH Sterling Foley ranks 20th at 0.73 bps.

RECORD HIGH: USC's .691 hitting percentage against Dominican (Feb. 8) set a new school record. It also tied the third-highest single-match output by an MPSF team—a mark also equaled by Pepperdine earlier this season. The Trojans have hit north of .300 in all nine each of its matches. Four times, USC has logged a hitting percentage higher than .450. USC's .430 hitting leads both the MPSF and the NCAA.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caleb Blanchette

Sterling Foley

Guy Genis

Dillon Klein

Markus Olsson

Noah Roberts

Parker Tomkinson