No. 11 USC Men's Volleyball Hosts Menlo For Non-Conference Contest

LOS ANGELES - The 11th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (7-7, 1-3 MPSF) welcomes Menlo College (13-1, 3-1 GSAC) to Galen Center for a Friday-evening bout (March 3) at 5 p.m. PT. The Trojans and the Oaks will meet for just the second time and will be shown live on USC's live stream platform. The Trojans are coming off a big five-set victory over a then-ninth-ranked Stanford squad; a win that snapped a five-match losing streak. With 11 regular-season matches remaining on the schedule, the Trojans are primed to start a new streak of victories leading into postseason play.

THIS WEEK
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
No. 11 USC (7-7, 1-3 MPSF) vs. Menlo College (11-1, 3-1 GSAC)

MATCH #15 • Friday, March 3 • 5 p.m. PT
LIVE STREAM: USC Live Stream

SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 1-0 (1.000)
LAST MEETING: W 3-0 (March 18, 2022 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 1-0
OPPONENT WEBSITE: MenloAthletics.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
The Trojans are currently ranked 11th in the AVCA Div I-II Coaches Poll. USC has played nine matches against ranked opponents this season (2-7).
USC has played just five home matches this season. The Trojans are 2-3 with victories over UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 19) and No. 9 Stanford (Feb. 26).
Freshman OH Dillon Klein leads the Trojans in kills (3.80 kps) and points (4.29 pps) with 12 matches in double-digit points.
USC returns All-American OPP Simon Gallas who ranks 10th in the MPSF for points (3.41 pps) and 2.77 kills per set this spring.
This season, the Trojans added All-American OH Kevin Kobrine; a grad transfer from UCLA. He was an All-MPSF choice in 2022 and follows brother Sam Kobrine who also transferred after four years at UCLA in 2021.
USC MB Lucas Frassrand returns after an All-America honorable mention campaign as a junior. His 0.74 blocks per set rank ninth in the MPSF.

LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans split home matches with No. 9 Stanford at Galen Center. The Cardinal took the first meeting in four sets and sent USC to its fifth consecutive loss; all in four sets. Simon Gallas racked up a season-high 21 kills in the loss. Two days later, USC returned to form and claimed a 3-2 win with a season-best 29 kills from Dillon Klein. The Trojans hit .600 in the fifth set and got seven kills from Klein alone. Gallas added another 19 kills and Jackson Reed came off the bench to log career highs in all stat categories including seven kills.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS: USC's home matches at Galen Center are live streamed for free on USCTrojans.com except for matches televised live by the Pac-12 Networks. Fans also can follow USC home matches through live stats with links available at USCTrojans.com.

HAPPY HOME PARADISE: After six matches away from home, the Trojans played on the Galen Center floor for the first time on Thursday, Jan. 19. USC defeated 12th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in five sets in front of a record-setting crowd of 1,508 fans in a home opener. Last season, USC went 13-1 at home.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans opened the season ranked 10th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. Following a 2-1 opening weekend, USC dropped one spot to 11th, but returned to the No. 10 spot on Jan. 16 and held that position for three straight weeks. The Trojans are 11th in the latest coaches' poll.

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Players Mentioned

Lucas Frassrand

Simon Gallas

Dillon Klein

Kevin Kobrine

Sam Kobrine

Jackson Reed