The USC men's volleyball team opened the 2016 season with two tough road losses to No. 10 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State, but new head coach Jeff Nygaard believes the matches served as a great learning experience for his squad.
"We are committed to the process," said Nygaard. "We are also committed to instilling the right type of culture so that we get to the championship level that we're trying to get to... When we do peak at the end and earn the right to go to Penn State we will have that experience [of playing two top teams]."
Click here for a complete recap of the USC-Penn State match and here for a complete recap of the USC-Ohio State match.
The Trojans' early struggles are the symptoms of a program under reconstruction, something Nygaard expects as his team reestablishes its culture. Despite back-to-back sweeps, USC's performances featured several bright spots including Jon Rivera's team-leading 14 kills against Penn State and Lucas Yoder's combined 20 kills in both matches.
The next chance for the Trojans to get back on track comes this Friday in their MPSF-opener at Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. Be sure to follow @USCmensvolley for in-game updates, photos and more this season.
Here is the head coach in his weekly recap on the start of this season, Lucas Yoder and his expectations for the team this season...
University Southern California Trojans
Tuesday, September 01
Tuesday, September 01
Tuesday, September 01
Tuesday, September 01
