University Southern California Trojans
USC
UCLA
USC Men's Volleyball Opens Delayed 2021 Season At No. 6 UCLA
February 09, 2021 | Men's Volleyball
THE FACTS
The USC men's volleyball team (0-0 overall, 0-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) opens its 2021 season, delayted 2 weeks because of COVID-19 issues in the Trojan program and featuring a schedule with only MPSF foes due to the ongoing pandemic, by visiting crosstown rival No. 6 UCLA (2-1, 2-1 MPSF) this Saturday (Feb. 13) at 5 p.m. PT. There will be Crosstown Cup points on the line. The first Trojans-Bruins match was set for Jan. 30 at Pauley Pavilion but was postponed due to a confirmed COVID-19 case with USC; the teams also meet next week (Feb. 18) at the Galen Center.
FOLLOW THE TROJANS
All of USC's home matches in the Galen Center are video-streamed live for free on USCTrojans. com, except for matches televised live on Pac-12 Network. 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).
RANKINGS
USC is unranked in the current AVCA Division I-II Top 15 poll. UCLA is No. 6.
OPPONENTS
USC trails in the UCLA series, 98-45, including most recently a 3-1 road loss in the 2020 season.
POSTPONED MATCHES DUE TO PAUSE
USC paused team activities on Jan. 22 due to a confirmed case of COVID-19. As a result, USC's first 3 matches of 2021 (Jan. 30 at UCLA, Feb. 4 versus Pepperdine, Feb. 6 at Grand Canyon) were postponed. USC is working with the MPSF and those schools to attempt to reschedule the matches at mutually-agreed dates (the GCU match will now be on March 17).
2021 OUTLOOK
A USC men's volleyball fan remembering last year's abbreviated Trojan season might say that the 2021 squad gets a sort-of "2020 do-over," with much of the roster returning, now more experienced and fully capable of rebounding from 2020's disappointing campaign. Fifteen of Troy's 20 players who saw action in 2020 are back, including tested starters returning at 4 positions. There are 9 upperclassmen, including 3 senior returning starters. They'll welcome 6 newcomers to the program, forming a talented 21-player roster. There are 13 Trojans standing 6-6 or taller.
However, a lack of adequate training time leading up to the start of the 2021 season could be an issue. Health and safety restrictions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic limited USC to just two weeks of workouts in early December 2020 and then only a few more weeks of drills and practice in January before the Trojans hit the court. USC's experience should help to get over this hurdle.
NYGAARD'S VIEW
"Not being able to practice and compete as we normally would prior to starting a season is challenging, so we know it is going to take some time to get into a flow," said sixth-year USC head coach Jeff Nygaard. "But, through all this, our players have shown an incredible love for the game and desire to play. They are fired up and hungrier than ever.
"We have most of our key players back from last year and they are more seasoned. They have bought into our vision and approach. It should be a fun year.
"We are big and physical. We are now an above-the-net volleyball team."
2020 REVIEW
With a team that last year skewed young (one senior and 15 underclassmen), USC posted a 5-14 overall record (1-6 in the MPSF) in 2020 before coronavirus issues ended the season with 6 regular season matches to play.
GONE FROM 2020
The key losses from the 2020 roster are 3-year starting middle blocker Sam Lewis, who at 6-10 was the second tallest Trojan in history, and 6-9 senior Kyle Gear, who started much of the past 3 seasons at middle blocker or opposite hitter. A .370 career hitter with 320 kills and 184 blocks, Lewis hit .463 in 2020, with 74 kills and 27 blocks. Gear had a .335 career hitting percentage with 44 starts. Last year, Gear had 131 kills while hitting .259 and added 23 blocks, 42 digs and 11 aces.
CROSSTOWN CUP
The winner of this USC-UCLA men's volleyball match scores 5 points toward the Crosstown Cup, a trophy awarded annually to the school with the most successful athletic year against the other. The competition was formerly known as the Crosstown Gauntlet. Points are awarded to the winner of each Trojan-Bruin head- to-head contest and the Crosstown Cup will be awarded to the school with the most points at year's end (100 points is the magic number). USC has won the Crosstown Cup 11 times in the competition's 18 years (last year's was suspended when the coronavirus pandemic cancelled spring sports). Currently, USC leads this season's Crosstown Cup competition, 20-15 (with an upcoming women's swimming meet on Feb. 12 prior to the men's volleyball match).
