No. 13 USC Men’s Volleyball Hosts No. 6 BYU For Senior Weekend

Men’s Volleyball | April 01, 2024

LOS ANGELES – The 13th-ranked USC men’s volleyball team (11-11, 2-6 MPSF) hosts sixth-ranked BYU (15-7, 6-4) for its final pair of home regular-season matches this weekend (April 5-6) at Galen Center. Both contests are set for 7 p.m. PT starts and will both be shown live on the USC live stream platform. The Trojans seek to bounce back from three straight losses and are currently fifth in the MPSF standings with four regular season matches left to play.

SENIOR WEEK

Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.

No. 13 USC (11-11, 2-6 MPSF) vs. No. 6 BYU (15-7, 6-4 MPSF)

WATCH LIVE: USC Live Stream (Max Kelton)

MATCH #23 • Friday, April 5 • 7 p.m. PT

MATCH #24 • Saturday, April 6 • 7 p.m. PT

SERIES RECORD: USC trails, 25-50 (.333)

LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (March 31, 2023 • Provo, Utah)

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

OPPONENT WEBSITE: BYUCougars.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. On March 6, in a win over Penn State, he recorded his 100th-career win.
• The Trojans are ranked 13th in the AVCA/NVA Coaches Poll. This year’s poll is expanded to include 20 teams for the first time.
• USC has reached double-digit blocks in 10 matches and has had more blocks than its opponent in 14 contests. The Trojans’ 2.47 blocks per set ranks second in the MPSF and is eighth in the nation.
• The Trojans have out-hit their opponent in 12 matches. USC’s .309 hitting percentage ranks fourth in the MPSF and is 12th in the NCAA.
• So. OH Dillon Klein has reached double-digit kills in 17 matches this season and has had 37 double-digit matches in his career. He has also registered five matches with 20 or more kills.
• 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.
• Three Trojans rank in the MPSF’s top 15 for blocks led by Sr. MB Kyle Paulson who is third in the league (seventh in…