University Southern California Trojans
USC Travels To Cal-State Northridge and UCSB
March 04, 2003 | Men's Volleyball
March 4, 2003
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THE FACTS
The USC men's volleyball team (4-13 overall, 1-10 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)--seeking to maintain the momentum of its upset victory over No. 4 Lewis and end its 7-match league losing streak--travels to No. 6 Cal State Northridge (12-6, 8-5) on Wednesday (March 5) and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (3-11, 6-14) on Friday (March 7) for a pair of MPSF matches at 7 p.m.
ON THE AIR
All of USC's home MPSF matches are broadcast live over the internet on www.usctrojans.com. Justin Unell and Scott Lembke are mikeside.
RANKINGS
USC is not ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Division I-II coaches poll. Cal State Northridge is sixth and UC Santa Barbara is 15th.
OPPONENTS
USC is 37-11 all-time against Cal State Northridge, but has lost the last 3 meetings, including 3-2 this past January. The Trojans hold a 42-34 edge all-time against UC Santa Barbara--which hosts Pepperdine on Wednesday (March 5)--but have lost the past 4 matches, including 3-0 in January.
LAST MATCHES
In a non-conference match on Feb. 25, USC fell at Cal Baptist, the NAIA's top-ranked team, 32-30, 29-31, 30-26, 24-30, 20-18. The Lancers evened their all-time record against Troy, 3-3. Phil Peterson had 26 kills and 13 blocks for USC, while Josh Day added 12 kills (hitting .429) and 7 blocks. USC outblocked Cal Baptist, 24.5 to 11.0, but hit just .155 (CBU hit only .112). In an MPSF match on Feb. 28, No. 3 BYU swept the Trojans, 33-31, 30-27, 30-24, in the Lyon Center. The Cougars hit a blazing .472 to USC's .215 and outblocked Troy, 10.0 to 3.0. Ian Gallagher had a USC-best 10 kills with 2 aces, while Blake Tippett added 8 kills. BYU swept USC again on the next night (March 1) in the Lyon Center, 30-16, 30-28, 30-22. The Cougars hit .430 to USC's .157 and had 8.0 blocks to Troy's 2.5. Gallagher topped USC with 14 kills (hitting .407) and had 5 digs, while Tippett added 9 kills and 6 digs. USC snapped its 8-match losing streak with a 22-30, 30-28, 25-30, 30-21, 17-15 non-conference upset over No. 4 Lewis on March 3 in the North Gym. It snapped Lewis' 13-match winning streak. USC fought back from 11-7 and 13-11 deficits in the fifth game before a kill by Joao Grangeiro and then a Lewis blocking error gave Troy the match. Mark Dusharme had a career-best 24 kills while hitting a match-high .588. He also had a match best 5 aces (including 4 in a row early in the first game), plus 3 blocks and 6 digs. Four other Trojans had double figures in kills: Grangeiro (15), who normally is USC's libero but started at outside hitter versus Lewis, plus Josh Day (13), Ian Gallagher (11) and Chris McKniff (a career-best 10, while hitting .412). Day added 6 blocks and McKniff had 4, while Grangeiro had a match-high 14 digs. USC hit .329 overall to Lewis' .289.
TOUGH AT HOME
USC is 215-76 (.739) in home matches in its 27-year history. From 1999 to 2001, the Trojans had a school-record 19-match home winning streak in the quaint North Gym.
NORTH GYM/LYON CENTER
For the first time since the 1997 season, USC is returning to the Lyon Center on a regular basis for most of its 2003 home matches. The Trojans will play 8 of their home matches in the 1,300-seat Lyon Center, while the other 4 will be played in the quaint 1,000-seat North Gym (USC's home the past 5 years).
VOLLEYBALL SCHOOL
Besides the 4 NCAA crowns (1977-80-88-90) that USC's men have won, the Women of Troy have captured 5 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. Then, coach Mick Haley's 2002 Women of Troy squad captured the NCAA title this past December.
COACH TURHAN DOUGLAS
Turhan Douglas, an assistant coach the past 3 seasons at USC, was promoted to head coach in May of 2002. Being a head coach is nothing new to the 33-year-old Douglas. In fact, he already exhibited his head coaching ability at USC before this season. When Pat Powers-his predecessor at Troy-missed USC's home match against BYU in 2001 to be with his ill mother, Douglas stepped in and directed the Trojans to a 3-1 upset over the top-ranked, undefeated Cougars. Douglas was a successful junior college and club coach before he came to USC for the 2000 season. He was the men's head coach at Pierce Junior College in Woodland Hills (Calif.) for 2 seasons (1998-99) and guided his squad to the South Coast Conference title both years while going 43-9. His 1999 team was the state runner-up and he was named the conference's Coach of the Year. He also was the head coach of Pierce's women's team for 6 seasons (1993-98). He also spent 6 years (1996-2001) as the director and coach of the Santa Monica (Calif.) Beach Club. In 1998, his team won the USA Junior Olympics Boys 17-and-Under championship. He was an assistant with the Santa Monica Junior College men's team for 4 years (1992-95). Douglas was a reserve middle blocker on the 1991 Long Beach State team that won the NCAA title (defeating USC in the final). He also played 2 seasons at Pierce (1987-88). The 1987 Pierce squad won the state crown and the 1988 team was the state runner-up.
ASSISTANT COACHES
There's a familiar face among USC's 3 first-year assisant coaches. Donald Suxho, one of Troy's greatest players, returned to his alma mater after spending time playing with the USA national team (2000-01), professionally in Poland (2001-02) and on the AVP beach tour (2000 and 2002). The Albanian native was the AVCA National Player of the Year as a Trojan senior setter in 2000. The 2-time (1999-2000) All-American first teamer holds the USC career record for aces (164). Joining him on the 2003 staff are Nabil Mardini, a native of Lebanon who was the women's head coach at Pierce J.C. in Woodland Hills (Calif.) the past 4 seasons (1999-2002)-Pierce was the league champ the last 2 years-and the director and coach of the boys' and girls' teams for Santa Monica (Calif.) Beach Club the last 8 years (1995-2002), and Mark Cruz, a former player under Turhan Douglas at Pierce and then a high school and club coach in Southern California (most recently, guiding the girls' team at Hart High in Newhall).
RETURNING STARTERS
USC returned 4 starters from 2001: middle blockers Josh Day and Phil Small, setter Miles McGann and outside hitter Mark Dusharme. Gone from last year are prolific outside hitter/opposite hitter Brook Billings, a 2000 All-American first teamer who had 2,075 career kills while starting for four seasons, and opposite hitter/middle blocker Beau Rawi, who started 75 matches in his career (plus 3-year starting libero Greg Burden).
TALL TEAM
USC might field the tallest roster in the country, with seven players at least 6-7, led by the inappropriately-named Phil Small (at 6-11, the tallest player in Trojan history).
