No. 6 USC Men's Volleyball Heads East for Ohio Trio

LOS ANGELES – The sixth-ranked USC men's volleyball team (5-0) seeks the program's 900th win when it heads to the Buckeye State this week to take on Central State, No. 13 Ohio State, and No. 17 Penn State.

THIS WEEK

MATCH #6 • Wednesday, Jan. 29 • 6 p.m. PT
No. 6 USC (5-0) at Central State (0-3)
Beacom/Lewis Gym • Wilberforce, Ohio
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 1-0 (1.000)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 1-0
OPPONENT WEBSITE: MarauderSports.com

BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Covelli Center • Columbus, Ohio
TV/STREAM: Big Ten Plus (B1G+)

MATCH #7 • Friday, Jan. 31 • 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
No. 6 USC (5-0) at No. 13 Ohio State (3-3)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 19-9 (.679)
STREAK: Lost 5 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 2-8
OPPONENT WEBSITE: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

MATCH #8 • Saturday, Feb. 1 • 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
No. 6 USC (5-0) vs. No. 17 Penn State (0-4)
SERIES RECORD: USC leads, 21-12 (.636)
STREAK: Won 1 • LAST 10 MEETINGS: 4-6
OPPONENT WEBSITE: GoPSUSports.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.
USC is 5-0 for the third time in the last four years (2022, '24, '25); the third time under Nygaard. The Trojans' next win will be the program's 900th all-time.
The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in four of their first five matches. USC's 3.62 blocks per set leads the NCAA.
Jr. OH Dillon Klein has reached double-digit kills in three matches this season and has had 44 double-digit matches in his career. His 3.92 kills per set rank second in the MPSF and he is third in points (4.69 pps).
Fr. MB Parker Tomkinson leads the NCAA in both hitting percentage (.630) and blocks (1.60 bps). His 3.43 points per set rank 15th in the MPSF.
Redshirt So. OPP Noah Roberts ranks second in the MPSF for blocks (1.47 bps) and is sixth for digs (1.71 dps). He is the Trojans' second-leading scorer at 3.59 points per set (10th, MPSF).

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 five matches with a four-set victory at 15th-ranked CSUN. The Matadors won the first set to snap the Trojans' 12-set win streak, but USC fought back to collect its second win over a top-20 opponent this season. OH Dillon Klein led the team with 17 kills and hit .351. He finished with 22.5 points and set a new career high and MPSF season high with nine blocks. OPP Noah Roberts had 15 kills and hit .312 with four blocks and finished with 17.0 points. MB Parker Tomkinson scored 13 kills on 17 swings with just one error to hit .706 and added seven blocks for 17.0 points. As a team, the Trojans hit .395 for their fifth match over .300; the second over the .350 mark. Caleb Blanchette put up 41 assists and added three kills and four digs.

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. 6in the January 27 poll, its highest position since it ranked No. 5 in the April 18 poll in 2022.

POW-WOW: OH Dillon Klein and MB Parker Tomkinson were each chosen for MPSF weekly awards on Jan. 27. The Trojan duo led USC to a four-set win over 15th-ranked CSUN to extend the team's win streak to five matches. Klein collected his third-career weekly honor but was chosen for the league's defensive award for the first time. Tomkinson—a freshman—earned his first-career weekly honor. It was only the third time since March 7, 2022 that USC has swept the MPSF's weekly awards.

EYE ON 900: USC's next win will mark the program's 900th all-time. The team's overall record is 899-626 (.590) since 1970 when John Smith recorded the team's first-ever win.

BIG BLOCK ENERGY: The Trojans' 3.62 blocks per set ranks first in both the MPSF and in the NCAA. USC has racked up double-digit blocks in four of its first five contests with 13 against Daemen, 11 against Princeton, 11.5 against Emmanuel, and a season-high 17 at CSUN. In its only match below 10 blocks, USC had 9 against D'Youville. All six Trojan starters rank in the MPSF's top 25 for blocks led by MB Parker Tomkinson whose 1.60 bps also lead the NCAA. OPP Noah Robertsaverages 1.47 bps and is second in the league and fourth in the nation. MB Guy Genis is fifth in the league at 1.08 bps. OH Sterling Foley ranks eight at 0.94 bps and OH Dillon Klein is 13th with 0.85 bps. S Caleb Blanchette is 25th in the league at 0.75 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 Daemen, .305 against Princeton, .333 against D'Youville, and hit .395 at CSUN. USC's .360 hitting ranks second in the MPSF and is seventh best in the NCAA.

BIG INKLEINATION: OH Dillon Klein earned All-MPSF second team honors for the second time and was an AVCA All-America honorable mention choice for the second time in 2024. He led the Trojans with 3.44 kills per set and 3.93 points per set in his sophomore campaign. Klein has reached double-digit kills in 44 of 57career matches and is on pace to reach the 1,000-kill mark in his career at the end of the 2025 regular season.

Players Mentioned

Caleb Blanchette

Sterling Foley

Guy Genis

Dillon Klein

Noah Roberts

Parker Tomkinson