Thursday, January 2
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM
USC
1-0,0-0MPSF
3
vs
2
Princeton
0-2,0-0EIVA
1
2
3
4
5
F
Princeton
22
25
23
25
10
2
Southern California
25
18
25
22
15
3
Team Stats
PU
USC
Kills
52
51
Errors
26
21
Attempts
120
131
Hitting %
.217
.229
Points
66
69
Assists
49
48
Aces
6
7
Blocks
8
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's VolleyballOH-OP
/ Men's Volleyball
MB-OPP
/ Men's VolleyballOPP-OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's VolleyballPhoto by: John McGillen
No. 12 USC Men's Volleyball Opens 2020 Season By Defeating No. 10 Princeton In 5 Sets
January 02, 2020 | Men's Volleyball, Features
Brandon Browning had 15 kills while hitting .429 and Kyle Gear added 10 kills and 4 aces to help the No. 12-ranked USC men's volleyball team open its 2020 season with a 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10 non-conference home victory over No. 10 Princeton on Thursday (Jan. 2) in USC's Galen Center.
The Tigers, who won the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title last year and played in the NCAA tourney, fell to 0-2 on the season.
Billy Fauntleroy added 9 kills for the Trojans, while Browning and Cole Paxson each had 7 digs, Gear--who moved from middle blocker to opposite hitter midway through the match--added 6 digs and 4 blocks and Chris Hall had a match-high 11 digs and 43 assists.
The young Trojans, who have just 1 senior and 15 underclassmen on their 22-man roster, played 6 true freshmen in the contest and had 3 of them together on the court for much of the match. Of those freshmen, Max Beck had a match-high 6 blocks, Simon Gallas had 5 kills and Lucas Frassrand had 4 kills and 3 blocks.
George Huhmann led Princeton with a match-best 23 kills along with 3 aces, Parker Dixon had 8 kills off the bench, Joe Kelly had 9 digs, Nico Posivak had 8 digs and Greg Luck had 6 kills, 6 digs and 5 blocks.
USC hit .229 with 11.0 blocks, 7 aces and 38 digs, while Princeton hit .217 with 8.0 blocks, 6 aces and 42 digs.
The first set was tied at 14-14 when Princeton ran off 5 straight points to go up 19-14, but USC then countered with the next 4 points to close to within 19-18 and soon after used another 4-point run to build a 23-21 lead, all the edge it needed to close out the set. Princeton broke a 4-4 tie in the second set with a 3-point run and the Tigers steadily pulled away. The third set was tight throughout, with neither team having more than a 2-point advantage, until USC scored the set's final 3 points. USC trailed for most of the fourth set before a 2-point surge tied it at 16-16, but the Tigers restored order with a 3-point run to go up 20-17 and the Trojans couldn't catch up. In the fifth set, USC used a 2-0 run to build a 6-4 lead and held the Tigers off the rest of the way.
USC now travels next week to George Mason, site of the 2020 NCAA Championship, to play in the George Mason Opening Weekend Tournament. The Trojans open against the host Patriots on Friday (Jan. 10) at 7 p.m. ET, then play New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 5 p.m. ET.
USC, which advanced to the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2012, is coming off its winningest season since 2015.
The Tigers, who won the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title last year and played in the NCAA tourney, fell to 0-2 on the season.
Billy Fauntleroy added 9 kills for the Trojans, while Browning and Cole Paxson each had 7 digs, Gear--who moved from middle blocker to opposite hitter midway through the match--added 6 digs and 4 blocks and Chris Hall had a match-high 11 digs and 43 assists.
The young Trojans, who have just 1 senior and 15 underclassmen on their 22-man roster, played 6 true freshmen in the contest and had 3 of them together on the court for much of the match. Of those freshmen, Max Beck had a match-high 6 blocks, Simon Gallas had 5 kills and Lucas Frassrand had 4 kills and 3 blocks.
George Huhmann led Princeton with a match-best 23 kills along with 3 aces, Parker Dixon had 8 kills off the bench, Joe Kelly had 9 digs, Nico Posivak had 8 digs and Greg Luck had 6 kills, 6 digs and 5 blocks.
USC hit .229 with 11.0 blocks, 7 aces and 38 digs, while Princeton hit .217 with 8.0 blocks, 6 aces and 42 digs.
The first set was tied at 14-14 when Princeton ran off 5 straight points to go up 19-14, but USC then countered with the next 4 points to close to within 19-18 and soon after used another 4-point run to build a 23-21 lead, all the edge it needed to close out the set. Princeton broke a 4-4 tie in the second set with a 3-point run and the Tigers steadily pulled away. The third set was tight throughout, with neither team having more than a 2-point advantage, until USC scored the set's final 3 points. USC trailed for most of the fourth set before a 2-point surge tied it at 16-16, but the Tigers restored order with a 3-point run to go up 20-17 and the Trojans couldn't catch up. In the fifth set, USC used a 2-0 run to build a 6-4 lead and held the Tigers off the rest of the way.
USC now travels next week to George Mason, site of the 2020 NCAA Championship, to play in the George Mason Opening Weekend Tournament. The Trojans open against the host Patriots on Friday (Jan. 10) at 7 p.m. ET, then play New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 5 p.m. ET.
USC, which advanced to the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2012, is coming off its winningest season since 2015.
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