USC Men's Volleyball Takes on Stanford in MPSF Quarterfinal Bout

LOS ANGELES – The 12th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (10-15, 3-9 MPSF) enters this week's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament as the six seed and will face third-seeded host Stanford (13-12, 6-6) in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday (April 19) at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Trojans and the eighth-ranked Cardinal split regular-season matches at Galen Center this spring. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. PT with FloVolleyball on hand to live stream all the action. The Trojans are 15-18 all-time in MPSF tournament matches and were winners of the 2009 conference title. Last year, at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, the Trojans defeated Concordia in the opening round but fell to Pepperdine in one of the semifinals. The Trojans earned a pair of wins over CUI to grab the sixth seed this week. The victories ended an eight-match streak of losses.

THIS WEEK
2023 MPSF TOURNAMENT
Maples Pavilion • Stanford, Calif.
[6] No. 12 USC (10-15, 3-9 MPSF) at [3] No. 8 Stanford (13-12, 6-6 MPSF)

MATCH #26 • Wednesday, April 19 • 5:30 p.m. PT
MPSF Tournament Quarterfinal
TV/STREAM: FloVolleyball

SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 72-36 (.667)
LAST MEETING: W 3-2 (Feb. 26, 2023 • Galen Center)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 7-3
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoStanford.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 12th in the AVCA Div I-II Coaches Poll. USC has played 17 matches against ranked opponents this season.
USC is the No. 6 seed in the MPSF tournament and is 15-18 all-time in tournament matches dating to 1993. The Trojans won the 2009 MPSF title.
Freshman OH Dillon Klein leads the Trojans in kills (3.62 kps) and points (4.17 pps) with 21 matches in double-digit points. He was honored as the MPSF Offensive Player of the Week on April 17, the first of his career.
All-American OPP Simon Gallas ranks 12th in the MPSF for points (3.31 pps) and is 12th with 2.70 kills per set this spring.
All-American OH 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 2.49 kps and 2.95 pps.
MB Lucas Frassrand returns after an All-America honorable mention campaign as a junior. His 0.95 blocks per set rank fifth in the MPSF.
MB Kyle Paulson leads the team in blocks (fourth in the MPSF ) with 1.00 bps and ranks 17th nationally.

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.

LAST TIME OUT: The Trojans went 2-0 in their final regular-season series by defeating CUI in a five-set finish in Irvine and then sweeping the Golden Eagles at home. The wins ended an eight-match losing streak for the Trojans and secured the sixth seed in the MPSF tournament. Fr. OH Dillon Kleinled the Trojans in kills and points on both nights and was later chosen as the MPSF/Molten Offensive Player of the Week. Gr. OPP Kevin Kobrine put up 15 kills in each of the matches to help the Trojans walk away with the two wins.

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 ranked 12th in the latest coaches' poll.

POW-WOW: Freshman OH Dillon Klein was named the MPSF/Molten Offensive Player of the Week on April 17. It was the first of his career and the first and only weekly award won by a Trojan this season. In two matches against CUI, Klein averaged 5.38 points per set. He had 34 kills and hit .431 (4.25 kps) to rack up his 18th and 19th matches in double-digit kills; his 20th and 21st matches in double-digit points. He has broken the 20-point plateau nine times in his first season and added a season-high three service aces in the first match with the Golden Eagles with a total of five aces on the weekend to go with seven blocks.

DOUBLE-UP: Four Trojans have logged double-doubles this season. Nate Tennant (51 assists, 11 digs) recorded the first of the spring in a five-setter against UC Irvine on Jan. 18 and did it again against Long Beach State (March 25). Ryan Sprague (30 assists, 12 digs) and Kevin Kobrine (15 kills, 13 digs) both had double-doubles in a five-set win over UC Santa Barbara at home (Jan. 19). Simon Gallas' 14-kill and 11-dog performance at Ohio State was his first-career double-double. Tennant and Sprague each also produced their first-career double-doubles. Kobrine had his first as a Trojan (fifth of his career).

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: The Trojans are 30-33 all-time in conference and regional playoffs dating back to 1971, which includes seven playoff championships. In the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament, USC is 15-18 and won the 2009 MPSF tourney title.

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Players Mentioned

Lucas Frassrand

Simon Gallas

Dillon Klein

Kevin Kobrine

Sam Kobrine

Kyle Paulson

Ryan Sprague

Nate Tennant