No. 5 USC Men's Volleyball Returns Home for Bout with Dominican

LOS ANGELES – The fifth-ranked USC men's volleyball team (8-0) looks to extend its win streak to nine matches when the Trojans host Dominican (1-4) for a Saturday (Feb. 8) match-up in the Galen Center Pavilion. First serve is set for noon PT and the match will be shown live on Big Ten Plus. The Men of Troy are ranked in the top five for the first time this season and for the first time since they were also fifth in the April 18th poll in 2022. USC's 8-0 start is its best start since 1991 when the team was 28-0 before suffering its first of two losses that year. The Trojans lead the MPSF in blocks (3.25 bps), hitting percentage (.410), and opponent hitting (.171) and are tops in the nation for blocks and second in attack percentage.

THIS WEEK
MATCH #9 • Saturday, Feb. 8 • 12 p.m. PT
No. 5 USC (8-0) vs. Dominican University (1-4)
Galen Center Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
TV/STREAM: Big Ten Plus (B1G+)
OPPONENT WEBSITE: ChargerAthletics.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 fifth in the AVCA Coaches Poll; the team's highest rankings since it was also ranked fifth on April 18, 2022.
USC is 8-0 to open a season for the first time since 1991 when the Trojans were 28-0 before taking their first loss.
The Trojans' eight-match win streak is the longest for the Trojans under Nygaard and is the longest since it had an 18-match streak in 2012.
The Trojans have reached double-digit blocks in five of their eight matches. USC's 3.25 blocks per set leads the NCAA.
Jr. OH Dillon Klein has reached double-digit kills in five matches and has had 46 double-digit matches in his career. His 4.14 kills per set lead the MPSF (5th, NCAA) and he is second in points at 4.73 pps (10th, NCAA).
Fr. MB Parker Tomkinson leads the NCAA in hitting percentage (.575) and is second in blocks (1.48 bps). His 3.14 points per set rank 16th in the MPSF.
Redshirt So. OPP Noah Roberts ranks second in the MPSF for blocks (1.35 bps. He is USC's second-leading scorer at 3.81 points per set (14th, MPSF).
So. S Caleb Blanchette ranks second in the MPSF and sixth in the country for assists per set at 10.55 aps.
Klein (Offensive) and Tomkinson (Defensive) are this week's Molten/MPSF Players of the Week; their second week in a row as the league's winners.

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 reached 900 all-time victories on a sweep of Central State last week. Two matches later, the Trojans had collected a pair of four-set wins over 13th-ranked Ohio State and 17th-ranked Penn State at the Big Ten Challenge. In the process, USC reached double-digit blocks for the fifth time this season and earned wins over ranked opponents for the third and fourth time this spring. Dillon Klein lifted the Trojans to a win over the Buckeyes with a 22-kill performance in which he hit a career-high .700. The Trojans blocked Ohio State 13.5 times thanks to a career-best eight-block outing by Parker Tomkinson and logged an astronomical .500 hitting percentage. USC came out the next night and hit .473 in a win over the Nittany Lions. This time, Noah Roberts led the way with 15 kills on .500 hitting for 19.5 points.

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. 5in the February 3 poll; its highest position since it also 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 duo repeated for the opposite awards one week later (Feb. 3). Klein has now collected four-career weekly honors; three offensive and one defensive. Tomkinson—a freshman—earned has earned both offensive and defensive weekly honors on short order. USC has swept the weekly awards four times since March 7, 2022.

EYE ON 900: USC reached 900 all-time victories on a three-set sweep of Central State in Wilberforce, Ohio, on Jan. 29. The team's overall record is now 902-626 (.590) since 1970 when John Smith recorded the team's first-ever win.

BIG BLOCK ENERGY: The Trojans' 3.25 blocks per set ranks first in both the MPSF and in the NCAA. USC has racked up double-digit blocks in five of its eight contests with 13 against Daemen, 11 against Princeton, 11.5 against Emmanuel, 13.5 at Ohio State, and a season-high 17 at CSUN. In two its matches below 10 blocks, USC had nine against D'Youville and at Central State. Four Trojan starters rank in the MPSF's top 25 for blocks led by MB Parker Tomkinson whose 1.48 bps also rank second in the NCAA. OPP Noah Roberts averages 1.35 bps and is second in the league and sixth in the nation. MB Guy Genis is seventh in the league at 1.05 bps. OH Sterling Foley ranks 16th at 0.78 bps.

HIT 'EM HIGH: USC has hit north of .300 in all eight each of its matches, including a season-high .500 at Ohio State. Four times, the Trojans have logged a hitting percentage higher than .450. USC's .410 hitting leads the MPSF and is second 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 46 of 60career matches and is on pace to reach the 1,000-kill mark in his career at the end of the 2025 regular season. He has 798 career kills and needs 202 to reach the mark.

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Players Mentioned

Caleb Blanchette

Sterling Foley

Guy Genis

Dillon Klein

Noah Roberts

Parker Tomkinson