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No. 4 USC Men's Volleyball Meets No. 6 Lewis In NCAA Opening Round Match At Walter Pyramid
April 26, 2019 | Men's Volleyball, Features
THE FACTS
The No. 4-ranked USC men's volleyball team (18-10 overall, 7-5 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will face Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champ No. 6 Lewis (25-5, 13-1 MIVA) in an opening round match of the 2019 NCAA Championship on Tuesday (April 30) at 5 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State. If the Trojans beat Lewis, they'll face No. 1 Hawaii (27-2, 8-2 Big West) in an NCAA semifinal contest on Thursday (May 2) at 5 p.m., with the final set for Saturday (May 4) at 5 p.m. This is USC's 15th appearance in the NCAA Championship, but its first in 7 years. Troy is seeking its first NCAA title since 1990 and its fifth overall. The Trojans, who have won 11 of their past 14 matches, finished third in the MPSF regular season standings and were the runnerup of MPSF Tournament to earn an at-large bid into the NCAAs. USC, with #Resurgence as its 2019 motto after going 8-20 last season, has more than doubled its wins from year ago while beating 7 Top 10 teams (including defending NCAA champ Long Beach State) and playing the nation's toughest schedule. USC has its most wins in a season under head coach Jeff Nygaard and sports its highest national ranking since mid-2015. The Trojans are led by a pair of All-MPSF first teamers in outside hitter Jack Wyett and opposite hitter Ryan Moss, along with All-MPSF second team outside hitter GianlucaGrasso, all seniors. Other key contributors are setter Chris Hall, who made the  MPSF All-Tournament team, middle blockers Sam Lewis and Kyle Gear and libero Matt Douglas. Nygaard won a pair of NCAA titles (1993 and 1995) as a player at UCLA and was runner-up in 1994, and twice was named the MVP of the NCAA All-Tournament team. USC men's volleyball is celebrating its 50th season.
TV
USC's opening round match against Lewis on March 30 will be live streamed on BigWest.sidearmstreaming.com. The May 2 semifinals will be shown live on NCAA.com at 5 p.m. PT and 7:30 p.m. PT and the May 4 championship match will air live at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
FOLLOW THE TROJANS
Fans can follow USC matches socially via Twitter (@USCmensvolley).
RANKINGS
USC is ranked No. 4 in the current AVCA Division I-II Top 15 poll, its highest ranking since Week 6 of 2015 (when Troy was No. 3). Lewis is ranked No. 6, while Hawaii is No. 1, Long Beach State is No. 2, Pepperdine is No. 3 and Princeton is No. 13.
OPPONENTS
USC is 5-3 all-time against Lewis and the teams last met in 2018 at Lewis (a 3-set sweep by the Flyers that included a 42-40 first set win). The teams have faced off once in NCAA play, with the Trojans winning in 4 sets in the 2012 semifinals. USC trails its series against Hawaii, 45-39, and has lost the past 4 meetings, including most recently 3-0 in this year's Rainbow Warrior Classic in mid-January. The teams have never met in the NCAAs. USC holds a 62-53 lead in its series with Long Beach State and won the most recent meeting (3-0 at home in late March). The teams are 1-1 in NCAA play, with USC posting a 4-set victory to capture the 1990 NCAA title and Long Beach State returning the favor in the 1991 NCAA final. USC also trails in its series with Pepperdine, 68-43, and Troy was swept its most recent meeting last week in Malibu in the MPSF Tournament final (USC earlier this year beat the Waves in early March at home, 3-1, and then lost in early April on the road, 3-0). USC is 2-0all-time against Princeton, including a 3-0 win this year at home in late January.
LAST WEEK
See page 12 for a recap of USC's 3-1 MPSF semifinal win over No. 6 UCLA on April 18 and its 3-0 loss in the MPSF championship versus Pepperdine on April 20, both in Malibu.
USC IN NCAAS
USC is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Championships, but its first in 7 years. The Trojans are 17-10 (.630) all-time in NCAA matches. USC has won 4 NCAA titles (1977-80-88-90), plus finished second 8 times (1979-81-85-86-87-91-2009-11) and third twice (1982-2012). In USC's last NCAA appearance, the Trojans defeated Lewis, 3-1, in the semis before being swept by UC Irvine in the 2012 Championship, hosted by USC. Troy also won USVBA national championships in 1949 and 1950.
NYGAARD IN NCAAS
USC head coach Jeff ​​​​​​​Nygaard won a pair of NCAA championships (and appeared in 3 NCAA finals) as a player at UCLA. He helped the Bruins to the 1993 NCAA title, setting an NCAA tourney record by hitting .867 in the semifinals and earning NCAA All-Tournament co-MVP honors. In 1994, the Bruins advanced to the NCAA championship match, where he made the NCAA All-Tourney team. The 1995 UCLA team won the NCAA title and he was named NCAA All-Tournament MVP. Nygaard was the first collegiate men's player to be named National Player of the Year in 2 consecutive seasons when he did so in 1994 and 1995.
