Three USC Men’s Volleyball Trojans Set for Paris Games
July 25, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
Three-time Olympian setter Micah Christenson looks to lead Team USA to gold in Paris
LOS ANGELES – Three USC men's volleyball players will compete at the upcoming Paris Summer Olympic Games beginning this week. All-American setter Micah Christenson (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama HS) was named to the U.S. Senior National Team for the third time. Andy Benesh (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) and Izac Carracher (Sydney, Australia/Sydney Grammar) will each make their Olympic debuts in beach volleyball.
Christenson won bronze with Team USA at the 2016 Rio Games and played for the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo Games (played in 2021). He is the starting setter for the sixth-ranked team in the world.
Benesh—a four-year starter who graduated in 2017—and his partner Miles Partain are one of two U.S. pairs and comprise the 11th-ranked men's beach volleyball duo in the world. Carracher—a member of USC's 2019 squad—and partner Mark Nicolaidis are ranked 27th in the world and are one of two pairs representing Australia at the Summer Games. Benesh and Carracher are the 16th and 17th USC men's volleyball Olympians; the second and third to qualify for the beach volleyball tournament (Tri Bourne, 2020).
The men's indoor volleyball tournament begins with the preliminary phase in which 12 teams are divided into three pools of four teams each. Every team will play the three other teams in its pool. The top two teams from each pool and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the single-elimination tournament beginning with the quarterfinals.
Pairs in the Olympic men's beach volleyball tournament will play three matches in pool play for the right to advance to the single-elimination tournament. Organized into six pools with four pairs each, the six pool winners, the six runners-up, and the best two of the six third-placed teams advance directly to the round of 16. The remaining four third-placed teams play in a single-elimination "lucky-loser round", where the two winners complete the 16 teams that will play down a single-elimination bracket.
MEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL POOL C – MICAH CHRISTENSON
July 27 – 12 p.m. PT | USA vs. Argentina
July 30 – 4 a.m. PT | USA vs. Germany
August 2 – 12 p.m. PT | USA vs. Japan
MEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL POOL A – IZAC CARRACHER
July 27 – 6 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Ahman/Hellvig (Sweden)
July 29 – 1 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Cottafava/Nicolai (Italy)
August 1 – 1 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Cherif/Ahmed (Qatar)
MEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL POOL D – ANDY BENESH
July 27 – 5 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Alayo/Diaz (Cuba)
July 30 – 6 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Abicha/Elgraoui (Morocco)
August 1 – 6 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Andre/George (Brazil)
The Trojans' men's volleyball team went 13-15 in the regular season, finished sixth in the MPSF standings (3-9), and was 13th in the final AVCA Coaches Poll. In the postseason, USC advanced to the MPSF tournament semifinal where it fell to league runner-up UCLA. The Trojans earned six wins over ranked opponents and ninth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard reached 100-career victories.
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
Christenson won bronze with Team USA at the 2016 Rio Games and played for the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo Games (played in 2021). He is the starting setter for the sixth-ranked team in the world.
Benesh—a four-year starter who graduated in 2017—and his partner Miles Partain are one of two U.S. pairs and comprise the 11th-ranked men's beach volleyball duo in the world. Carracher—a member of USC's 2019 squad—and partner Mark Nicolaidis are ranked 27th in the world and are one of two pairs representing Australia at the Summer Games. Benesh and Carracher are the 16th and 17th USC men's volleyball Olympians; the second and third to qualify for the beach volleyball tournament (Tri Bourne, 2020).
The men's indoor volleyball tournament begins with the preliminary phase in which 12 teams are divided into three pools of four teams each. Every team will play the three other teams in its pool. The top two teams from each pool and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the single-elimination tournament beginning with the quarterfinals.
Pairs in the Olympic men's beach volleyball tournament will play three matches in pool play for the right to advance to the single-elimination tournament. Organized into six pools with four pairs each, the six pool winners, the six runners-up, and the best two of the six third-placed teams advance directly to the round of 16. The remaining four third-placed teams play in a single-elimination "lucky-loser round", where the two winners complete the 16 teams that will play down a single-elimination bracket.
MEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL POOL C – MICAH CHRISTENSON
July 27 – 12 p.m. PT | USA vs. Argentina
July 30 – 4 a.m. PT | USA vs. Germany
August 2 – 12 p.m. PT | USA vs. Japan
MEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL POOL A – IZAC CARRACHER
July 27 – 6 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Ahman/Hellvig (Sweden)
July 29 – 1 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Cottafava/Nicolai (Italy)
August 1 – 1 a.m. PT | Carracher/Nicolaidis (Australia) vs. Cherif/Ahmed (Qatar)
MEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL POOL D – ANDY BENESH
July 27 – 5 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Alayo/Diaz (Cuba)
July 30 – 6 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Abicha/Elgraoui (Morocco)
August 1 – 6 a.m. PT | Benesh/Partain (USA) vs. Andre/George (Brazil)
The Trojans' men's volleyball team went 13-15 in the regular season, finished sixth in the MPSF standings (3-9), and was 13th in the final AVCA Coaches Poll. In the postseason, USC advanced to the MPSF tournament semifinal where it fell to league runner-up UCLA. The Trojans earned six wins over ranked opponents and ninth-year head coach Jeff Nygaard reached 100-career victories.
For more information on the USC men's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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