University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: Kevin Kim
Dillon Klein Named to Inaugural AVCA Player of the Year Watch List
February 04, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
The Trojans’ senior outside hitter was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. – USC men's volleyball senior outside hitter Dillon Klein (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Loyola HS) was named to the first-ever official watch list for the AVCA's National Collegiate Player of the Year award on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
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Klein is one of 15 players named to the initial watch list, which was compiled by the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Awards Committee. The same group will also serve through additional phases of the Player of the Year award process, which include possible midseason additions, the selection of semifinalists (early April), the announcement of the award's four finalists (early May), and the selection and announcement of the Player of the Year winner during the NCAA Championship in Los Angeles.
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Of the 15 players chosen to the first watch list, five are from the MPSF including Klein. The other four are Pepperdine Sr. OH Ryan Barnett and So. OPP Cole Hartke; and UCLA Sr. OH Zach Rama and Sr. S Andrew Rowan. Five others hail from Big West teams with two from Hawai'i, and one each from CSUN, UC Irvine, and Long Beach State. Loyola Chicago has two players on the list with the remaining three from McKendree, Lewis, and Ball State.
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Klein was named the MPSF/Molten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Feb. 2); his sixth-career weekly honor and the first earned by a Trojan this spring. He has led the Trojans in kills and points in each of USC's five contests in 2026 and produced his ninth-career match with 20 or more kills—his 66th-career match in double-digit kills—to lead the Trojans to a win over No. 13 Ohio State. He ranks second in the NCAA for both kills (4.44 kps) and points (5.42 pps).
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Fourth-ranked USC (5-0) is undefeated through five matches for the third straight season and hosts No. 16 CSUN (7-1) and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (5-3) at Galen Center this week. The Trojans—4-0 on their home floor—take on the Matadors on Wednesday (Feb. 4) for a 7 p.m. PT match and then takes on the Gauchos on Saturday (Feb. 7) at 5 p.m. Both will be shown on Big Ten Plus streams.
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For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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Klein is one of 15 players named to the initial watch list, which was compiled by the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Awards Committee. The same group will also serve through additional phases of the Player of the Year award process, which include possible midseason additions, the selection of semifinalists (early April), the announcement of the award's four finalists (early May), and the selection and announcement of the Player of the Year winner during the NCAA Championship in Los Angeles.
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Of the 15 players chosen to the first watch list, five are from the MPSF including Klein. The other four are Pepperdine Sr. OH Ryan Barnett and So. OPP Cole Hartke; and UCLA Sr. OH Zach Rama and Sr. S Andrew Rowan. Five others hail from Big West teams with two from Hawai'i, and one each from CSUN, UC Irvine, and Long Beach State. Loyola Chicago has two players on the list with the remaining three from McKendree, Lewis, and Ball State.
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Klein was named the MPSF/Molten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Feb. 2); his sixth-career weekly honor and the first earned by a Trojan this spring. He has led the Trojans in kills and points in each of USC's five contests in 2026 and produced his ninth-career match with 20 or more kills—his 66th-career match in double-digit kills—to lead the Trojans to a win over No. 13 Ohio State. He ranks second in the NCAA for both kills (4.44 kps) and points (5.42 pps).
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Fourth-ranked USC (5-0) is undefeated through five matches for the third straight season and hosts No. 16 CSUN (7-1) and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (5-3) at Galen Center this week. The Trojans—4-0 on their home floor—take on the Matadors on Wednesday (Feb. 4) for a 7 p.m. PT match and then takes on the Gauchos on Saturday (Feb. 7) at 5 p.m. Both will be shown on Big Ten Plus streams.
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For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
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