USC Men's Volleyball National Champions
1949 USVBA CHAMPIONS
USC’s 1949 men’s volleyball team, although not under the jurisdiction of the athletic department, captured the first-ever USVBA Collegiate National Championship. The event was held in Los Angeles that year and the Hans Vogel-coached Trojans beat Stanford in the final, 15-4, 15-2. Dick Archer and Ray Solari were named All-American first teamers.
1950 USVBA CHAMPIONS
USC followed up its 1949 USVBA Collegiate National Championship with a repeat title in 1950. Hans Vogel took his Trojans (still not under the auspices of the athletic department) to the final in Knoxville, Tenn., where they beat the University of Mexico, 13-9, 14-8. Robby Duron and Don Patterson made the All-American first team. The team disbanded in 1951.
1977 NCAA CHAMPIONS
In the year that USC first awarded volleyball scholarships, head coach Ernie Hix's Trojans went 18-1 with a team that featured future Olympians Celso Kalache (Brazil) and Dusty Dvorak (USA) and future USC head coach Bob Yoder. After beating Rutgers Newark in the NCAA semifinal, USC defeated Ohio State in 4 games (15-11, 9-15, 15-10, 15-12) to win its first NCAA Championship. Kalache and Yoder were All-American first team picks, while Dvorak and Steve Obradovich were All-American second teamers. Kalache was the NCAA All-Tournament team MVP.
1980 NCAA CHAMPIONS
The Trojans and head coach Ernie Hix found themselves in their third Final Four in 4 years. USC defeated UCLA in four games (15-7, 6-15, 15-13, 15-8) to win its second NCAA Championship. Troy (22-6), one of the best teams in college volleyball history, featured 3 future Olympic gold medalists (Dusty Dvorak, Steve Timmons and Pat Powers) and a 3-time All-American first teamer (Tim Hovland). Powers went on to coach the Trojans from 1997 to 2002. Hovland, Dvorak and Powers were All-American first team selections that year, with Dvorak earning NCAA All-Tournament team MVP honors.
1988 NCAA CHAMPIONS
After being down two games to none in the NCAA Championship match, USC head coach Bob Yoder subbed Lawrence Hom into the lineup…and Hom sparked one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history as Troy won the next three games to defeat UC Santa Barbara, 15-17, 14-16, 15-10, 15-11, 15-9, en route to the school’s third NCAA Championship (after three straight NCAA Championship runnerup seasons). The Trojans (34-4) were led by All-American first teamer and NCAA All-Tournament team MVP Jen-Kai Liu, All-American first teamer and College Player of the Year Tom Duke and College Freshman of the Year Bryan Ivie.
1990 NCAA CHAMPIONS
The Trojans (26-7), under the guidance of first-year head coach Jim McLaughlin, were in their 10th Final Four in 13 years. Troy’s lineup of future Olympians Bryan Ivie, Dan Greenbaum and Nick Becker defeated Long Beach State, 15-10, 12-15, 15-4, 15-6, to win its fourth NCAA Championship. Ivie was honored as an All-American first teamer, College Player of the Year and NCAA All-Tournament team MVP. Greenbaum, Kevin Shepard and Freshman All-American Jason Perkins joined Ivie on the NCAA All-Tournament team.
