No. 10 USC Men’s Volleyball Gets First MPSF Road Tests at No. 2 GCU

Men’s Volleyball | February 19, 2024

LOS ANGELES – The 10th-ranked USC men’s volleyball team (10-4, 2-0 MPSF) heads to the Copper State for a pair of pivotal MPSF matchups with No. 2 Grand Canyon (11-0, 2-0) this weekend. The two contests will be the Trojans’ last two outside of California and are against the highest-ranked opponent this spring. Coming off two wins over Concordia to open conference play, USC ranks second in the league for both blocks (2.75 bps) and hitting (.362).

THIS WEEK

No. 10 USC (10-4, 2-0 MPSF) vs. No. 2 Grand Canyon (11-0, 2-0 MPSF)

MATCH #15 • Friday, Feb. 23 • 6 p.m. MST / 5 p.m. PT

Global Credit Union Arena at GCU • Phoenix, Ariz.

LIVE STREAM: ESPN+

MATCH #16 • Saturday, Feb. 24 • 4 p.m. MST / 3 p.m. PT

Antelope Gymnasium • Phoenix, Ariz.

LIVE STREAM: None

SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 6-10 (.375)

LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Feb. 17, 2023 • Galen Center)

STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 3-7

OPPONENT WEBSITE: GCULopes.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. His next victory will be the 100th in his career.
• The Trojans are ranked 10th in the AVCA/NVA Coaches Poll, a season-high position. This year’s poll is expanded to include 20 teams for the first time.
• USC has reached double-digit blocks in nine matches and has had more blocks than its opponent in 12 of 14 contests. The Trojans’ 2.75 blocks per set ranks second in the MPSF and is third in the nation.
• The Trojans have out-hit their opponent in 12 matches. USC’s .362 hitting percentage ranks second in the MPSF and is fourth in the NCAA.
• Freshmen Wesley Smith (MB), Jakobi Lange (OH), Jack Ebertin (OH), Brad Pan (LIB), and transfer Josh Friedman (S) were 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 USC’s 2024 class in time to compete in the spring.
• Five Trojans rank in the MPSF’s top 20 for blocks…