University Southern California Trojans
USC Men's Volleyball Opens 2001 Home Season
January 16, 2001 | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 16, 2001
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THE FACTS: The USC men's volleyball team (2-2 overall, 0-0 NCAA, 0-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Pacific Division) begins its 2001 home season -- seeking the 200th home victory in the program's history -- with matches against Cal State Northridge (2-2, 0-0) this Wednesday (Jan. 17) and UC San Diego (0-1, 0-1) this Friday (Jan. 19). Both matches begin at 7 p.m. in the USC North Gym.
OPPONENTS: Cal State Northridge is coming off a 1-2 showing at the UC Irvine Invitational last weekend (beating UCI and losing to Pepperdine and UCLA). USC owns a 35-8 all-time mark against the Matadors and has won the last 4 meetings. UC San Diego opened its 2001 season with a loss to UC Santa Barbara last weekend. USC is 20-1 all-time versus the Tritons and has won the past 6 matches.
LAST MATCHES: USC finished fourth at the UC Santa Barbara Collegiate Invitational earlier this month, beating UC Davis and UC Irvine before falling to UCLA and then Long Beach State in the third place match.
LAST YEAR: USC proved in 2000 that the program has returned to national prominence. The Trojans had a 22-5 NCAA record (26-6 overall) and captured a share of the Pacific Division crown in the difficult Mountain Pacific Sports Federation by going 16-3 (their first league title since 1991). USC twice beat a No. 1-ranked squad in 2000 (UCLA and Long Beach State), was 14-0 at home and spent two weeks near the end of the season ranked No. 1 before finishing third. Only a close loss to Pepperdine in the semifinals of the MPSF tournament kept Troy out of the NCAA Final Four in 2000 (a loss to BYU in the MPSF tourney finals knocked USC out of the NCAA tourney in 1999).
RETURN TO GLORY?: The 2001 season is the 10th anniversary of USC's last appearance in the NCAA Final Four. In the 15-year span >from 1977 to 1991, USC was a near-annual contender for the NCAA title as the Trojans won 4 NCAA crowns, finished second 6 times and were third once.
ALMOST: For each of the past two seasons, the USC men's volleyball team was a victory away from capturing a berth into the NCAA Championship, but losses to Pepperdine in 2000 and BYU in 1999 kept the Trojans home.
TOUGH AT HOME: USC is 199-60 (.768) all-time in home matches. Last year, the Trojans went 14-0 in the quaint North Gym, its first unblemished home season since 1991 and its most home wins ever.
VOLLEYBALL SCHOOL: Besides the 4 NCAA crowns (1977-80-88-90) that USC's men have won, the Women of Troy have captured 4 national volleyball titles. USC's women won the AIAW trophy in 1976, 1977 and 1980, and the NCAA crown in 1981, all under coach Chuck Erbe. The 2000 Women of Troy advanced to the NCAA Final Four, but lost in the semifinals.
COACH PAT POWERS: Legendary Olympic gold medalist, collegiate All-American and pro beach star Pat Powers returned in 1997 to his alma mater: which he led to the 1980 NCAA title as a player: to become the USC men's volleyball head coach and help bring the Trojans back to national prominence. Now in his fifth year, his career mark is 87-51. In 1997, his first season, Powers put USC back on track, with its first winning season since 1994 at 18-14. In 1998, his Trojans went 17-17 and missed the MPSF Tournament by just one win. In 1999, the 24-12 Trojans advanced to the finals of the MPSF tourney and earned a No. 7 national ranking. Last year, USC shared the MPSF Pacific Division title and went 26-6 with a No. 4 national ranking. The 6-foot-5 Powers is one of the greatest players in international volleyball history. He was a member of the U.S. National Team for nine years (1978-86) and started at outside hitter on a squad that won America's first-ever ?Triple Crown?: the 1984 Olympics, the 1985 World Cup and the 1986 World Championships.
RETURNING STARTERS: USC returns 5 starters: All-American opposite hitter Brook Billings, 3-year starting outside hitters Trevor Julian and Eli Fairfield, and middle blockers Beau Rawi and Mark Dusharme. USC's only loss from 2000 is a big one: 2-time All-American setter Donald Suxho, the AVCA National Player of the Year who was a 4-year starter and owns Troy's career record for aces.
BROOK BILLINGS: USC sports one of the collegiate game's most dynamic players in dominating 6-5 junior opposite hitter Brook Billings. He was a 2000 All-American and All-MPSF first team pick. A starter since he arrived at USC, he led the Trojans in kills as a freshman and sophomore (he had 601 last season while hitting .339). He was fifth nationally in kill average in 2000 (6.84)?he had 50 kills in a match last spring?and also had 160 digs and 73 blocks. Nobody in the country hits the ball harder.
ELI FAIRFIELD: Eli Fairfield, a 6-7 senior outside hitter starting for his fourth season, is known as a strong hitter, accurate passer, lethal jump server and dependable defender. A 2000 All-American honorable mention selection and All-MPSF second teamer, he was second last year on USC in kills (497) while hitting .323 and third in aces (42). He also had 150 digs and 77 blocks.
TREVOR JULIAN: Coach Pat Powers says 6-5 senior outside hitter Trevor Julian, USC's captain in 2001, might be the nation's best passer. He is starting for his fourth seasons. He was second last spring on the Trojans in aces (51) and third in both kills (362) and hitting percentage (.373). He also had 117 digs and 71 blocks.
BEAU RAWI: Beau Rawi, a 6-5 junior who is a two-year starting middle blocker, led USC last year in blocks (137) and hitting percentage (.442). He had 315 kills, 24 aces and 28 digs.
MARK DUSHARME: Mark Dusharme, a 6-7 sophmore middle blocker who started in 2000, is one of the country's top young players (he captained the 2000 USA Boys Junior National team). He was second on USC in blocks (98) and had 253 kills while hitting .361. He also had 20 aces and 32 digs.
DONNY KILLIAN: It makes sense that 6-5 middle blocker Donny Killian, a transfer from Pepperdine who will compete for playing time, will spend his 2001 senior year at USC. He has deep Trojan roots, as his father, Don, was a member of USC's 1977 NCAA champs and his sister, Lauren, is a member of the Women of Troy team which played in the 2000 NCAA Final Four (about a dozen other relatives also attended USC). Killian was a two-year starter for Pepperdine, twice appeared in the Final Four and led the Waves in hitting percentage the past two seasons, including .465 (sixth nationally) last fall. He also had 303 kills, 47 aces (he was fifth nationally in ace average at .495), 134 blocks and 69 digs in 2000.
JOSH DAY: Like Killian, 6-6 sophomore Josh Day will push for playing time at middle blocker in 2001. He started 8 times in 2000, ending up second on USC in hitting percentage (.413) and had 79 kills, 45 blocks, 14 aces and 14 digs.
MILES McGANN: Having the challenging task of filling the big shoes of Donald Suxho at setter is 6-5 sophomore Miles McGann, who appeared in 11 matches in 2000 as an outside hitter and jump serving specialist. But he was a highly-decorated high school setter who has impressive national junior-level experience.
LIBEROS: Greg Burden, a 6-0 junior, is back as USC's libero. He led the Trojans in digs (183) last season. He'll be aided by 6-2 soph Dustin Avol, who was used often as a serving specialist in 2000. Avol is also available to set.
RESERVES: The wild card in USC's lineup mix is 6-8 redshirt freshman outside hitter Marcus Gilmour, who redshirted last season while recuperating from knee surgery. USC's tallest player, he's just now rounding into playing form...There are four freshmen outside hitters on the 2001 Trojans: a pair of 6-3 players in Peter Jordan and Greg Stampley, 6-4 Charley Witt and 6-5 Michael Hickman. Jordan was the 1999 All-CIF Division II MVP as a senior at San Marcos High in Santa Barbara, Calif., but sat out the 2000 season while working. Stampley was a 2000 All-CIF Division I first teamer on CIF Division I titlist Corona del Mar (Calif.) High. Witt, whose brothers played at Stanford, made the 2000 All-CIF Division III first team at Santa Ynez (Calif.) Valley Union High. Hickman was a three-time All-State selection while at Castle Hills First Baptist High in San Antonio, Tex. Owen Hanson, a 2000 All-CIF Division II first team pick from Redondo (Calif.) Union High, comes in as a 6-2 frosh opposite hitter. Ian Gallagher, who sat out his 2000 senior season at Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance, Calif., with a knee injury (he was a 1999 All-CIF Division II second teamer), is a 6-5 freshman setter. Jordan, Stampley, Hickman and Hanson all were named to Volleyball's Fab 50 prep list.
NOTES: Here's a rarity in the world of men's athletics. One of USC's assistant coaches is a woman, Laura Ames, who was the women's head coach at both Aurora (1993-95) and Benedictine (1996-97)...Besides Donny Killian's vast USC heritage, several other Trojans have Trojan relatives: Beau Rawi's brother, Omar, started for USC's men's volleyball team in 1998 and 1999. Miles McGann's brother, Grant, played water polo at USC in 1997. Several dozen of Marcus Gilmour's relatives attended USC, including his mother and father. Charley Witt is a fourth generation Trojan: his father, Bob, played water polo at USC and his great grandfather and grandfather are Trojan alumns. Peter Jordan's grandparents attended USC.
