No. 13 USC Men’s Volleyball Set For First Point Collegiate Challenge

Men’s Volleyball | January 15, 2024

LOS ANGELES – The 13th-ranked USC men’s volleyball team (4-0) heads to the Lone Star State for the First Point Collegiate Challenge this week. Hosted by the First Point Foundation, the Trojans join UCLA, Stanford, Ball State, Ohio State, and Penn State for a special six-match event at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. USC takes on 14th-ranked Ball State (6-2) on Friday (Jan. 19) and then meets No. 4 Ohio State (4-0) on Saturday (Jan. 20). First serve for both matches is set for 1:30 p.m. CT (11:30 a.m. PT) and all six matches at the event will be streamed live by FloVolleyball.

THIS WEEK

FIRST POINT COLLEGIATE CHALLENGE

Austin Convention Center • Austin, Texas

TV/STREAM: FloVolleyball

MATCH #5 • Friday, Jan. 19 • 1:30 p.m. CT/11:30 a.m. PT

No. 13 USC (4-0) vs. No. 14 Ball State (6-2)

SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 8-2 (.800)

LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (March 15, 2003 • Los Angeles, Calif.)

STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 8-2

OPPONENT WEBSITE: BallStateSports.com

MATCH #6 • Saturday, Jan. 20 • 1:30 p.m. CT/11:30 a.m. PT

No. 13 USC (4-0) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (4-0)

SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 19-7 (.731)

LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Feb. 4, 2023 •  State College, Pa.)

STREAK: Lost 3 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 4-6

OPPONENT WEBSITE: OhioStateBuckeyes.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 13th in the AVCA/NVA Coaches Poll. This year’s poll is expanded to include 20 teams for the first time.
• USC will play its first match in the state of Texas. It previously played a team from Texas (in Santa Barbara) in 1995 and won in two sets.
• The Trojans are 4-0 to start a season for the second time under Nygaard. USC went 5-0 to start the 2022 season.
• USC freshmen Wes 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.
• All-MPSF, All-America honorable…