No. 6 USC Men's Volleyball Meets No. 15 CSUN in Undefeated Clash

LOS ANGELES – The No. 6 USC men's volleyball team (4-0) plays its first road match of the season this Wednesday (Jan. 22) when the Trojans head up to Northridge to take on 15th-ranked CSUN (5-0). The two undefeated teams meet at Premier America Credit Union Arena—the Matadome, familiarly—for a 6 p.m. PT contest that will be shown live on ESPN+. The Trojans have won 12 consecutive sets and racked up three straight 3-0 sweeps for the first time since 2012 with wins over No. 19 Princeton, D'Youville, and Emmanuel.

THIS WEEK
MATCH #5 • Wednesday, Jan. 22 • 6 p.m. PT
No. 6 USC (4-0) at No. 15 CSUN (5-0)
Premier America Credit Union Arena • Northridge, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 52-35 (.598)
STREAK: Lost 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 5-5
TV/STREAM: ESPN+
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoMatadors.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

USC is led by 10th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
The Trojans are ranked sixth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. It is USC's highest ranking since it held the fifth spot on April 18, 2022.
USC is 4-0 for the third time in the last four seasons (2022, '24, '25) and is 4-0 for the third time under head coach Jeff Nygaard.
The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in three of their first four matches. USC's 3.43 blocks per set leads the NCAA.
USC leads the MPSF in digs (9.38 dps, 10th NCAA) and ranks second both in the league and nationally for opponent hitting percentage (.089).
Jr. OH Dillon Klein has reached double-digit kills in two matches this season and has had 43 double-digit matches in his career. His 3.78 kills per set rank seventh in the MPSF and he is eighth in points (4.28 pps).
Fr. MB Parker Tomkinson leads the NCAA in hitting percentage at .595 and ranks third in the MPSF (sixth, NCAA) for blocks (1.55 bps).
Redshirt So. OPP Noah Roberts ranks second in the MPSF for blocks (1.61 bps) and is seventh for digs (1.69 dps). He is the Trojans' second-leading scorer at 3.38 points per set (12th, MPSF).
All of USC's home matches and all road contests against conference opponents will be shown on Big Ten Plus as part of the MPSF's new partnership with Big Ten Network and B1G+.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS: Regular-season home matches at Galen Center will be streamed live through the Big Ten Plus app and at BigTenPlus.com. Follow USC matches on live stats with links at USCTrojans.com.

LAST TIME OUT: USC extended its season-opening win streak to four matches and pushed to 12 consecutive sets won with a pair of clean sweeps over D'Youville and Emmanuel. The three consecutive 3-0 victories marked the first time since late in the 2012 season that the Trojans have put together a trio of straight-set wins. Parker Tomkinson led the Trojans with eight kills on 10 swings and had three blocks against the Saints. Christian Connell poured in 10 kills in his first collegiate start and hit .529 to go with a pair of service aces against the Lions. Noah Roberts logged a career-high seven blocks in the win over Emmanuel and finished with 13.0 points. Johnny Dykstra logged the first double-digit digs match of the season with 10 in his collegiate debut against Emmanuel. The Trojans reached double-digit blocks for the third time in four matches and finished with 11.5 against the Lions.

POLL POSITION: The Trojans were ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. In 2024, the poll expanded to 20 teams (previously 15). USC is currently ranked No. 6 in the January 20 poll, its highest position since it ranked No. 5 in the April 18 poll in 2022.

BIG BLOCK ENERGY: The Trojans' 3.43 blocks per set ranks first in both the MPSF and in the NCAA. USC has racked up double-digit blocks in three of its first four contests with 13 against Daemen, 11 against Princeton, and 11.5 against Emmanuel. In its only match below 10 blocks, USC had 9 against D'Youville. Four Trojans rank in the MPSF's top 20 for blocks led by OPP Noah Roberts who averages 1.61 bps and is second in the league. MB Parker Tomkinson is at 1.55 bps and ranks third. OH Sterling Foley is eighth at 1.00 bps and MB Guy Genis is 18th with 0.78 bps.

HIT 'EM HIGH: USC hit north of .300 in each of its first four matches, including a season-high .492 against Emmanuel. The Trojans finished at .316 against Daeme, .305 against Princeton, and .333 against D'Youville. USC's .350 hitting ranks fifth in the MPSF and is 15th best in the NCAA.

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Players Mentioned

Christian Connell

Johnny Dykstra

Sterling Foley

Guy Genis

Dillon Klein

Noah Roberts

Parker Tomkinson