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

Men’s Volleyball | February 10, 2025

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