Men’s Volleyball | January 03, 2024
LOS ANGELES – The 12th-ranked USC men’s volleyball team (0-0) opens the 2024 season against Fort Valley State (0-0) and Morehouse College (0-0) this weekend at the Galen Center Pavilion. Both the Wildcats and Maroon Tigers are from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in Georgia and play out of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). FVSU and Morehouse will also face UCLA and Pepperdine while in Los Angeles.
THIS WEEK
SIAC TOURNAMENT
Galen Center Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
CLOSED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
TV/STREAM: USC Live Stream
MATCH #1 • Friday, January 5 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 12 USC (0-0) vs. Fort Valley State (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: FVSUSports.com
MATCH #2 • Saturday, January 6 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 12 USC (0-0) vs. Morehouse (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: MorehouseAthletics.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
- USC is led by ninth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
- The Trojans are ranked 12th in the AVCA/NVA Coaches Poll. It is the same position USC held in the final poll of 2023. This year’s poll is expanded to include 20 teams for the first time.
- USC was picked to finish fifth by the MPSF coaches in a preseason poll. Last year, the Trojans were sixth with a 3-9 league record.
- So. OH Dillon Klein returns after he led the Trojans in kills (3.60 kps) and points (4.18 pps) with 22 matches in double-digit points in 2023. He was an All-MPSF second team choice and earned All-America honorable mention status.
- Sr. MB Kyle Paulson led the team in blocks (fourth in the MPSF ) with 0.99 bps and ranked in the top 20 nationally in 2023.
- USC’s incoming class of freshmen Wes Smith (MB), Jakobi Lange (OH), Jack Ebertin (OH), Brad Pan (LIB), and junior transfer Josh Friedman (S) was rated the No. 1 recruiting class by VolleyballMag.com. Smith was the No. 1-ranked individual player.
- Fr. S Caleb Blanchette signed to be a part of the Trojans’ 2025 freshman class in November, but completed high school requirements and reclassified to join…
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