University Southern California Trojans
Men's Volleyball Travels To UC Irvine, UCLA
February 05, 2002 | Men's Volleyball
Feb. 5, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THE FACTS
The USC men's volleyball team (4-7 overall, 1-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Fed-eration)--
trying to end a 4-match losing slide--goes on the road for a pair of 7
p.m. MPSF matches at No. 8 UC Irvine (6-4, 2-3) on Wednesday (Feb. 6) and at
top-ranked UCLA (9-1, 4-0) on Saturday (Feb. 9).
ON THE AIR
All of USC's home MPSF matches will be broadcast live over the internet on
www.usctrojans.com.
RANKINGS
USC is not ranked in the latest USA Today/AVCA coaches poll or the Volleyball
poll. UC Irvine is ninth in the USA Today/AVCA coaches poll and eighth by
Volleyball. UCLA is No. 1 in both polls.
OPPONENTS
UCLA owns a 73-29 series edge over USC and has won the past 4 meetings,
including a 3-1 win last month in the Wyndham Garden/West Coast Challenge
at UC Irvine. The Bruins, who are riding a 7-match winning streak but must host
Pepperdine on Thursday (Feb. 7), feature outside hitters Matt Komer (124 K,
.396, 13 SA, 40 DG, 29 BK), Cameron Mount (101 K, .274, 13 SA, 50 DG, 35 BK)
and Jonathan Acosta (108 K, .340, 40 DG) along with quick hitter Chris Pena
(103 K, .415, 41 BK). USC is 26-3 all-time against UC Irvine, but has lost the last
2 meetings, including a 3-1 loss last month in the Wyndham Garden/West Coast
Challenge. The Anteaters--who have won their last 3 matches and 4 of their
past 5--are led by outside hitter Jimmy Pelzel (103 K, .322, 11 SA, 39 DG, 20 BK)
and middle blocker Erick Helenihi (95 K, .243, 19 BK), setter Jarrett Jensen (69
K, 15 SA, 17 BK) and middle blocker Brenden Watumull (35 K, .371, 44 BK).
LAST MATCHES
No. 7 UC Santa Barbara snapped No. 14 USC's 7-match home winning streak by
posting a 30-20, 30-24, 23-30, 30-22 win in an MPSF match on Jan. 30 at USC.
The Gauchos outblocked (17.5 to 6.0) and outserved (12 aces to 6) Troy while
hitting .272 to USC's .169. Ben Koski had 17 kills (hitting .471) and 6 blocks for
UCSB, Andy Rivera added 13 kills and had a match-best 5 aces, and Anders
Bengtsson and Justin Adams each had a match-high 7 blocks (Adams added 4).
Brook Billings led USC with 17 kills, while Beau Rawi had 14 kills while hitting .550
and added a team-high 5 blocks. No. 15 Cal State Northridge, behind 14 kills from
Eckhard Walter and 12 from Nils Nielsen, swept No. 14 USC, 30-28, 30-18, 30-
28, in an MPSF match on Feb. 2 at USC. The Matadors served 10 aces, including
5 by Joe Nargi, and hit .420 to keep USC off balance. Nielsen hit .476 and Walter
was at .391, while Nargi hit a team-best .545 with 7 kills and added a team-leading
4 blocks. Stan Douglas also had 7 kills and hit .500 for CSUN.For USC, Bill-ings
had a match-high 16 kills while hitting .355, Ian Gallagher added 9 kills, Mark
Dusharme had 8 kills (hitting .462) and Phil Small had a match-best 5 blocks. The
Trojans hit .338.
SLOW START
At 4-7 overall, USC is off to its slowest start since the 1971 squad went 2-9 (its final
record that season). And Troy's 1-4 MPSF start is its slowest since the 1998 team
also began 1-4. USC's 4-match losing streak is its longest since a similar skid in
1998 (all were MPSF matches).
THE MPSF
In all but one of the 32 years of the NCAA
tourney, the national champ has come from
the MPSF or its predecessor conferences.
TOUGH AT HOME
USC is 212-64 (.768) in home matches in
its 26-year history. From 1999 to 2001, the
Trojans had a school-record 19-match home
winning streak in the quaint North Gym.
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
2001 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 Pow-ers
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 sixth
year, his career mark is 104-67. 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 ad-vanced
to the finals of the MPSF tourney
and earned a No. 7 national ranking. In
2000, USC shared the MPSF Pacific Divi-sion
title and went 26-6 with a No. 4 national
ranking. In 2001, USC went 15-11 overall
(No. 10 final ranking) and qualified for the
MPSF tourney. The 6-foot-5 Powers is one
of the greatest players in international vol-leyball
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, 1985 World Cup and 1986 World
Championships.
RETURNING STARTERS
USC returns 3 starters from 2001: outside
hitter Brook Billings, middle blocker Josh
Day and setter Miles McGann. Gone from
last year are 4-year starting outside hitters
Trevor Julian and Eli Fairfield, plus middle
blocker Donny Killian (now a Trojan assis-tant
coach).
