USC
UCLA vs. Ohio State
No. 11 USC Men's Volleyball Hosts Pac-12/BIG Ten Challenge, Welcoming No. 5 UCLA, Penn State AND Ohio State
March 05, 2019 | Men's Volleyball, Features
THE FACTSÂ
The No. 11-ranked USC men's volleyball team (9-7 overall, 3-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) hosts for the first time the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge this Friday (March 8) and Saturday (March 9) at the Galen Center, as the Trojans and No. 5 UCLA (14-4) take on Penn State (8-8) and Ohio State (6-12). On Friday, the Bruins and Buckeyes collide at 5 p.m. PT followed by the USC-Penn State clash at 8 p.m. PT. Then on Saturday, the pairings flop as UCLA meets the Nittany Lions at 5 p.m. PT and the Trojans battle Ohio State at 8 p.m. PT. All 4 non-conference matches will be streamed live on USCTrojans.com and on USC Athletics' Facebook Live.Â
FOLLOW THE TROJANSÂ
All of USC's home matches are video-streamed live for free on USCTrojans.com, except for matches televised live on Pac-12 Network (those matches only are audio-streamed live on the TuneIn Radio app). USC's online announcers are ex-Trojan player and assistant coach Mark Beltran and onetime Northeastern player/Winthrop assistant coach Paul Duchesne. Fans also can follow USC home matches through Live Stats at USCTrojans.com and all matches via Twitter (@USCmensvolley).Â
RANKINGSÂ
USC is ranked 11th in the current AVCA Division I-II Top 15 poll. Penn State and Ohio State are not ranked.Â
OPPONENTSÂ
USC holds an 18-10 lead in its series with Penn State, but the Trojans have lost the last 4 meetings, including in 5 sets last year in the AVCA Showcase in Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans last beat Penn State in the 2012, 3-1. USC is 18-4 all-time against Ohio State, but has dropped the past 3 meetings, including in 4 sets last season in the AVCA Showcase at UCLA. Troy's last victory over the Buckeyes came in 2010 in an early-season tourney in Hawaii, 3-1.Â
50TH SEASONÂ
The 2019 season is the 50th of USC men's volleyball. Since 1970, the Trojan program has been among the finest in college: winning 4 NCAA championships, playing in 14 NCAA Final Fours and producing 20 Olympians, 34 All-American first teamers and 7 College Players of the Year.
