No. 12 USC Men's Volleyball Opens 2024 with FVSU and Morehouse

LOS ANGELES – The 12th-ranked USC men's volleyball team (0-0) opens the 2024 season against Fort Valley State (0-0) and Morehouse College (0-0) this weekend at the Galen Center Pavilion. Both the Wildcats and Maroon Tigers are from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in Georgia and play out of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). FVSU and Morehouse will also face UCLA and Pepperdine while in Los Angeles.

THIS WEEK
SIAC TOURNAMENT
Galen Center Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
CLOSED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
TV/STREAM: USC Live Stream

MATCH #1 • Friday, January 5 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 12 USC (0-0) vs. Fort Valley State (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: FVSUSports.com

MATCH #2 • Saturday, January 6 • 10 a.m. PT
No. 12 USC (0-0) vs. Morehouse (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
OPPONENT WEBSITE: MorehouseAthletics.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by ninth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
The Trojans are ranked 12th in the AVCA/NVA Coaches Poll. It is the same position USC held in the final poll of 2023. This year's poll is expanded to include 20 teams for the first time.
USC was picked to finish fifth by the MPSF coaches in a preseason poll. Last year, the Trojans were sixth with a 3-9 league record.
So. OH Dillon Klein returns after he led the Trojans in kills (3.60 kps) and points (4.18 pps) with 22 matches in double-digit points in 2023. He was an All-MPSF second team choice and earned All-America honorable mention status.
Sr. MB Kyle Paulson led the team in blocks (fourth in the MPSF ) with 0.99 bps and ranked in the top 20 nationally in 2023.
USC's incoming class of freshmen Wes Smith (MB), Jakobi Lange (OH), Jack Ebertin (OH), Brad Pan (LIB), and junior transfer Josh Friedman (S) was rated the No. 1 recruiting class by VolleyballMag.com. Smith was the No. 1-ranked individual player.
Fr. S Caleb Blanchette signed to be a part of the Trojans' 2025 freshman class in November, but completed high school requirements and reclassified to join USC's 2024 class in time to compete in the spring.
USC opens its 2024 season against a pair of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams in Fort Valley State and Morehouse College; both HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) located in Georgia. Both FVSU and Morehouse will also play UCLA and Pepperdine this week.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS: All USC 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 won 10 matches in 2023 and finished sixth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings. USC fell to MPSF tournament host Stanford in the first round of the league tourney.

HAPPY HOME PARADISE: USC will play at Galen Center four times to open the spring season. After hosting HBCUs Fort Valley State and Morehouse College, the Trojans take on Harvard (Feb. 11) on Pac-12 Networks and Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 13). In all, USC will play 15 of its 26 regular season matches at Galen Center and hosts both the SIAC Tournament to open the spring and the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in March. The Trojans' home arena will also play host to the MPSF Tournament, April 17-20.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans were ranked No. 12 in the AVCA/NVA Preseason Coaches Poll. 2024 marks the expansion of the poll to 20 teams (from 15 previously).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caleb Blanchette

Jack Ebertin

Josh Friedman

Dillon Klein

Jakobi Lange

Brad Pan

Kyle Paulson

Wesley Smith