USC
Grand Canyon
USC Men's Volleyball Sweeps Grand Canyon
March 25, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
March 25, 2010
Box Score | Jersey Retirement Ceremony Photo Gallery 
WATCH Trojan Volleyball Great Bob Yoder Interview (2:00)
WATCH Trojan Volleyball Great Tim Hovland Interview (2:00)
The No. 7-ranked USC men's volleyball team, using a lineup consisting mainly of backup players, swept NCAA Division II Grand Canyon, 30-27, 30-20, 30-26, in a non-conference match on Thursday (March 25) at USC's Galen Center.
USC improved to 11-9 overall, while the Antelopes dropped to 14-21.
Sean Dennis led the Trojans with 12 kills while hitting .579 and he had 9 digs. Steven Shandrick added 11 kills (hitting .476) and Jon Hackett had 10 kills (hitting .364) with 8 digs and 5 blocks. Ian Wright had 9 blocks, Tyler Stevens had 9 kills, Andrew Pizula had 9 digs and Chris Trefzger had 7 digs.
For Grand Canyon, Connor Dougherty had 13 kills while hitting .391, Brock Hutchins had 11 kills and Trent Bruns had 11 digs.
USC hit .355 overall to Grand Canyon's .173 and had more blocks (11.5 to 4.5) and digs (44 to 36).
Grand Canyon overcame a 3-point deficit to tie the first set at 22-22, then USC scored the next 2 points on a Dennis kill and an Antelope hitting error to gain control. The Trojans scored 10 out of 12 points in the second set to forge an 18-12 lead that they never relinquished while hitting .488 and getting 6 blocks. The third set was tied at 20-20 before USC moved out to a 26-22 edge and then a Hackett kill closed out the Trojan victory.
After the match, there was a ceremony to retire the jersey numbers of former USC All-American volleyballers Tim Hovland (#10) and Bob Yoder (#15). Commemorative banners were unveiled in the Galen Center rafters.
The Trojans next return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play with their final 2 regular-season home matches of 2010, hosting No. 11 UC Irvine on April 1 and then No. 7 UCLA on April 3. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
