University Southern California Trojans
Friday, March 24
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 PM
USC
at
Long Beach State
Players Mentioned
MB/OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP/OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH-OPP-S
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
Photo by: Cassandra Yra
No. 11 USC Men's Volleyball Takes on No. 4 Long Beach State For Two
March 20, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
The Trojans break from MPSF play to meet Big West foe Long Beach State this weekend
LOS ANGELES – The 11th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (8-9, 1-5 MPSF) meets No. 4 Long Beach State (12-3, 3-1 Big West) for a pair of matches this week. The Trojans trek down to the Walter Pyramid for a road match on Friday (March 24) at 7 p.m. PT, and then host LBSU on Saturday (March 25) at Galen Center for another 7 p.m. start. The match at Long Beach State will be shown live on ESPN+ and the rematch at Galen Center will be streamed on the USC live stream platform. The Trojans have lost two in a row against Long Beach State and are just 2-8 in the last 10 meetings. On March 23, 2019, an 11th-ranked USC team swept No. 1 LBSU in a match played at USC's North Gym.
THIS WEEK
No. 11 USC (8-9, 1-5 MPSF) vs. No. 4 Long Beach State (12-3, 3-1 Big West)
MATCH #18 • Friday, March 24 • 7 p.m. PT
Walter Pyramid • Long Beach, Calif.
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ (Matt Brown & Matt Prosser)
MATCH #19 • Saturday, March 25 • 7 p.m. PT
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
LIVE STREAM: USC Live Stream (Max Kelton)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 62-55 (.530)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Feb. 4, 2022 • Long Beach, Calif.)
STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-8
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.com
FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)
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LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans were defeated twice by a seventh-ranked Pepperdine squad. The Waves took a 3-0 win at Firestone Fieldhouse and then earned a four-set win at Galen Center. Despite the 3-1 result, USC went toe-to-toe with Pepperdine in the home rematch. Dillon Klein recorded his 14th match in double-digit kills; his 15th in double-digit points. The Trojans hit .242 to Pepperdine's .246 and the Waves had only a slight edge in kills, 51-50.
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HAPPY HOME PARADISE: After opening the season with six road matches, the Trojans played at Galen Center 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.
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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 once again ranked 11th in the latest coaches' poll.
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THIS WEEK
No. 11 USC (8-9, 1-5 MPSF) vs. No. 4 Long Beach State (12-3, 3-1 Big West)
MATCH #18 • Friday, March 24 • 7 p.m. PT
Walter Pyramid • Long Beach, Calif.
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ (Matt Brown & Matt Prosser)
MATCH #19 • Saturday, March 25 • 7 p.m. PT
Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.
LIVE STREAM: USC Live Stream (Max Kelton)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 62-55 (.530)
LAST MEETING: L 3-1 (Feb. 4, 2022 • Long Beach, Calif.)
STREAK: Lost 2 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-8
OPPONENT WEBSITE: LongBeachState.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 11 matches (of 17) against ranked opponents this season.
- Freshman OH Dillon Klein leads the Trojans in kills (3.77 kps) and points (4.30 pps) with 15 matches in double-digit points.
- USC returns All-American OH Simon Gallas who ranks eighth in the MPSF for points (3.44 pps) and is 11th with 2.81 kills per set this spring.
- All-American OPP Kevin Kobrine--a grad transfer from UCLA--follows brother Sam Kobrine who also transferred after four years at UCLA in 2021. Kobrine is third on the team with 2.41 kps and 2.91 pps.
- MB Lucas Frassrand returns after an All-America honorable mention campaign as a junior. His 0.83 blocks per set rank seventh in the MPSF.
- MB Kyle Paulson leads the team in blocks (third in the MPSF ) with 0.97 bps.
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LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans were defeated twice by a seventh-ranked Pepperdine squad. The Waves took a 3-0 win at Firestone Fieldhouse and then earned a four-set win at Galen Center. Despite the 3-1 result, USC went toe-to-toe with Pepperdine in the home rematch. Dillon Klein recorded his 14th match in double-digit kills; his 15th in double-digit points. The Trojans hit .242 to Pepperdine's .246 and the Waves had only a slight edge in kills, 51-50.
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HAPPY HOME PARADISE: After opening the season with six road matches, the Trojans played at Galen Center 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.
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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 once again ranked 11th in the latest coaches' poll.
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Men's Volleyball - USC 1, Pepperdine 3: Highlights (04/26/25)
Saturday, April 26
Men's Volleyball - USC 3, Stanford 1: Highlights (04/25/25)
Friday, April 25
Men's Volleyball - USC 3, UCLA 0: Highlights (04/19/25)
Saturday, April 19
Men's Volleyball - USC 2, UCLA 3: Highlights (04/17/25)
Thursday, April 17
