Men's Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- jnygaard@usc.edu
- Phone:
- (213) 740-3838
JEFF NYGAARD—a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time collegiate MVP while playing on a pair of NCAA championship teams—Is in his 10th season (2025) as the head coach of the USC men’s volleyball team. He also served the five previous seasons as a Trojan assistant (2011-15).
Nygaard holds a head coaching record at USC of 102-129.
Under Nygaard in 2024, the Trojans went 13-15 in the regular season, finished sixth in the MPSF standings (3-9), and were 13th in the final AVCA Coaches Poll. In the postseason, USC advanced to the MPSF tournament semifinal where it fell to league runner-up UCLA. The Trojans earned six wins over ranked opponents. Prior to the season, Nygaard served as a coach at the USAV National Team Development Program for its fall series in Colorado Springs.
In 2023, the Trojans were 10-16 overall (3-9 in the MPSF) and appeared in the MPSF tournament first round. In 2022, USC went 22-7 overall (its most wins since 2012), for the biggest one-year turnaround in program history. Troy was second in the MPSF at 8-4, its best league finish since 2012, and Simon Gallas was named to the All-MPSF first team.
Nygaard’s 2021 Trojans were 5-13 overall (5-12 MPSF) and played without the benefit of much of a fall season due to COVID-19 protocols. USC was 5-14 overall (1-6 MPSF) in a 2020 campaign that saw the sport shut down nationally due to the coronavirus pandemic. USC’s last six regular season matches were cancelled.
In 2019, the Trojans more than doubled their win total from 2018 by going 18-11 overall (their most wins since 2015) and finished third in the MPSF at 7-5 (their highest league finish since 2012). Troy was the MPSF Tournament runner-up and, for the first time since 2012, and qualified for the NCAA tournament. USC, playing the nation’s toughest schedule, had seven wins over teams ranked in the AVCA Top 10 at the time and won 11 of its last 15 matches. Its in-season No. 4 AVCA ranking was the program’s highest since 2015 and its final No. 5 ranking was its best finish since 2012. Troy was undefeated at home (12-0) for the first time since 2000 and was 5-2 on neutral courts. The team’s .320 hitting percentage was its highest since 2011. USC snapped eventual NCAA champ Long Beach State’s 23-match win streak, Troy’s first win over a No. 1 team since 2013. The Trojans’ 3-0 win over BYU was its first sweep over the Cougars since 1991 and back-to-back wins over UCLA were the first consecutive victories over the Bruins since 2011. Jack Wyett and Ryan Moss made All-MPSF first team (Wyett, All-America second team).
Nygaard’s 2018 team went 8-20 overall and was 3-9 for a sixth-place tie in the MPSF. The Trojans posted a pair of big late-season upsets, defeating No. 3 UCLA (the NCAA runner-up) and No. 5 Pepperdine (in a road MPSF Tournament quarterfinal match). Wyett earned All-America honorable mention and was chosen to the All-MPSF first team, while Sam Lewis and Cole Paxson were named to the MPSF All-Freshman team.
In 2017, USC went 14-14 overall and 8-10 in the MPSF to tie for sixth place. USC doubled its win total from the previous year and advanced to the MPSF tournament after a year's hiatus. The Trojans lost seven of their first nine matches but finished strong by winning eight of the last 10. USC gave NCAA tournament participant Long Beach State one of its four losses in 2017 and Troy beat four other Top 10 teams. Lucas Yoder was named to the AVCA All-America second team and to the All-MPSF first team, while Andy Benesh was All-America honorable mention and on the All-MPSF second team.
A rebuilding USC team went 7-19 overall in 2016; Nygaard’s debut season. The Trojans were 5-17 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for 11th place. Nygaard, 50 at the time, replaced Bill Ferguson, who was USC’s head coach the previous nine seasons.
In the summer of 2015, Nygaard served as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team that competed in the Pan American Cup in Reno. He coached USC’s middle blockers in his five seasons (2011-15) as Ferguson’s lead assistant coach. During that span, Troy played in a pair of NCAA Final Fours, won two MPSF regular-season titles and posted an 88-48 (64.7 percent) overall mark. The 2015 Trojans went 19-9 overall, placed fourth in the MPSF, advanced to the MPSF tournament semifinals and finished with a No. 7 national ranking.
Before coming to USC, Nygaard was a volunteer assistant coach with the UCLA men’s team for three seasons (2002-04). He spent 2009 as an assistant women’s coach at Whittier College.
Nygaard has been involved with USA Volleyball, serving as an assistant coach with the Pan American men’s indoor team in 2010, as head coach at the USA High Performance Clinic (Iowa/Midwest Region) for indoor women since 2010 and has been non staff with the Elite Development Program on the beach since 2013.
At 6-8, Nygaard was a middle blocker on the U.S. National Team from 1993 to 2000 and represented the U.S. in three Olympics. He was a member of the indoor team at the 1996 and 2000 Games and teamed with USC beach volleyball head coach Dain Blanton on the beach in the 2004 Olympics. He also helped the U.S. win a bronze medal at the 1994 World Championships.
Professionally on the indoor circuit, Nygaard played in Greece (1996-97), Croatia (1998), France (1999), and Turkey (2007). He also played on the 1999 and 2001 Los Angeles Athletic Club teams that won the U.S. Men’s Open national titles.
Nygaard played on the pro beach tour from 2001 to 2011, winning AVP MVP honors in 2003 when he and Blanton were named AVP Team of the Year. He won seven AVP titles and an FIVB event, with nearly $500,000 in career earnings. Nygaard captured a beach tourney for four consecutive years (2002-05), including an AVP-best three victories in 2003.
As a four-year (1992-95) starter at UCLA, Nygaard was the first collegiate men’s player to be named National Player of the Year in two consecutive seasons (1994, ’95). He was also the National and Conference Freshman of the Year in 1992 and was a three-time (1993-95) All-American and a three-time All-Conference first-teamer. He helped the Bruins to the 1993 NCAA title, setting an NCAA tournament record by hitting .867 in the semifinals and earned NCAA All-Tournament co-MVP honors. In 1994, he set UCLA season records with 650 kills while averaging 6.98 kills per match as the Bruins advanced to the NCAA championship match, where he made the NCAA all-tournament team. The 1995 UCLA team won the NCAA title while posting a 31-1 record (undefeated in league play) and Nygaard was named NCAA all-tournament MVP. His 123 career aces set a UCLA school record.
In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. In 2019, the World Olympians Association awarded the letters OLY after his name in recognition for an Olympian’s athletic achievements, their status in the global sports society, commitment to furthering the Olympic ideals and dedication to hard work and athletic endeavor. In 2020, he was inducted into the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame.
As a high school athlete, Nygaard helped La Follette High in Madison, Wisconsin, to the 1987 and 1989 state championships and a runner-up finish in 1988.
Nygaard received his bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA in 1995 and began work on a master’s in English from Whittier College. He was born on Aug. 3, 1972. Nygaard and his wife Renee have two daughters, Sophia and Elena and a son, Alexander.
