University Southern California Trojans
USC
<b>*Pacific (LC)</b>
USC Men's Volleyball Beats Pacific In MPSF Opener
January 13, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 13, 2006
Joao Grangeiro had 22 kills and 11 digs to help the No. 12-ranked USC men's volleyball team overcome a 2-game deficit and defeat No. 12 Pacific, 30-21, 27-30, 31-33, 30-26, 17-15, in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener for both teams on Friday (Jan. 13) in USC's Lyon Center.
USC improved to 2-2 overall, while the Tigers dropped to 1-3.
Grangeiro's 22 kills equalled a career high. Juan Figueroa added 21 kills, 8 digs and 4 blocks for the Trojans, while teammate C.J. Schellenberg had 18 kills and 10 digs and Andrew Vernon notched 7 blocks..
For Pacific-which outhit (.302 to .295) and outblocked (14 to 11.5) USC-Brian Adamson had a match-best 23 kills, while Andreas Baboulidis added 15 kills and 4 blocks and Pekka Seppanen had 14 kills and 9 digs.
USC took control of the first game by scoring 6 straight points to take a 14-8 lead and hit .520 for the game. Pacific pulled away late in the second game by scoring 3 points in a row to go up 29-25. The Tigers then overcame a 27-22 deficit in the third game by scoring 6 unanswered points, but USC rebounded and had 3 swings at game point before the Tigers scored the final 3 points. USC took a 22-20 lead in the fourth game and never surrendered it. In the fifth game, USC was up 8-7 on the changeover, then followed with a pair of aces by Jimmy Killian. But the Tigers caught up at 14-14 before a pair of Grangeiro kills ended the match.
USC next hosts No. 15 Stanford on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 7 p.m. in the Lyon Center.
