University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: Kevin Kim
USC Men's Volleyball's Wesley Smith Named MPSF/Molten Defensive Player of the Week
February 09, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
Smith collected 11 blocks to help lead the Trojans to a pair of wins over CSUN and UC Santa Barbara
LOS ANGELES – USC men's volleyball redshirt sophomore middle blocker Wesley Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS) was named the MPSF/Molten Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 2-8, the league announced on Monday, Feb. 9.
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It is the second weekly award won by a Trojan this season and is the second-career selection for Smith who was also chosen once as a freshman in 2024 (Feb. 12). Last year, USC players earned MPSF weekly awards eight times; three times by Sr. OHÂ Dillon Klein.
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Smith averaged 1.38 blocks per set and had 11 total blocks in a pair of wins over No. 16 CSUN and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara. He had six blocks (two solo) and finished with 15.0 points for his fourth straight match in double-digit kills (10) in a five-set win over the Matadors. He also served an ace against CSUN. In the victory over the Gauchos, he had five blocks (one solo) and added three kills. In all, Smith scored 21.0 points with 11 blocks to average 2.63 points per set in the two matches.
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Fourth-ranked USC (7-0) is undefeated through seven matches for the second straight season and meets No. 5 UC Irvine (11-0) for a home-and-home series this week. The teams meet at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., on Wednesday (Feb. 11) for a 6 p.m. PT midweek bout. There will be no live stream of the UCI-USC match in Irvine. The teams then get together for a rematch at Galen Center on Friday (Feb. 13) at 7 p.m. and will be shown live on Big Ten Plus.
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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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It is the second weekly award won by a Trojan this season and is the second-career selection for Smith who was also chosen once as a freshman in 2024 (Feb. 12). Last year, USC players earned MPSF weekly awards eight times; three times by Sr. OHÂ Dillon Klein.
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Smith averaged 1.38 blocks per set and had 11 total blocks in a pair of wins over No. 16 CSUN and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara. He had six blocks (two solo) and finished with 15.0 points for his fourth straight match in double-digit kills (10) in a five-set win over the Matadors. He also served an ace against CSUN. In the victory over the Gauchos, he had five blocks (one solo) and added three kills. In all, Smith scored 21.0 points with 11 blocks to average 2.63 points per set in the two matches.
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Fourth-ranked USC (7-0) is undefeated through seven matches for the second straight season and meets No. 5 UC Irvine (11-0) for a home-and-home series this week. The teams meet at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., on Wednesday (Feb. 11) for a 6 p.m. PT midweek bout. There will be no live stream of the UCI-USC match in Irvine. The teams then get together for a rematch at Galen Center on Friday (Feb. 13) at 7 p.m. and will be shown live on Big Ten Plus.
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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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