Photo by: Drake Lee
USC Men's Volleyball Setter Caleb Blanchette Named MPSF Defensive Player of the Week
March 31, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
Blanchette leads the nation in assists and ranks ninth in the MPSF for digs all while setting the Trojans to an 18-2 mark this spring
LOS ANGELES – USC men's volleyball sophomore setter Caleb Blanchette (Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood HS) was named the Molten/Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, March 31.Â
Â
The award is the first of Blanchette's career and is the seventh weekly honor claimed by a Trojan this season. Four different USC players have won the Molten/MPSF Defensive Player of the Week award including Dillon Klein (Jan. 27), Parker Tomkinson (Feb. 3), and Johnny Dykstra (March 17) previously.
Â
Over the weekend, Blanchette put up 19 digs to average 2.38 digs per set in a pair of wins over 13th-ranked Grand Canyon. Blanchette set the Trojans to their 17th match over .300 hitting and logged his second double-double this season (fifth career) with 43 assists and a career-high-tying 13 digs. Blanchette leads the NCAA in assists (11.30 aps) and ranks ninth in the MPSF in digs (1.66 dps). In the second meeting with the Lopes, he also picked up three blocks and had two kills in each of the matches.
Â
With Blanchette at the controls, the Trojans lead the MPSF in hitting percentage (.382) and rank second in the NCAA only to top-ranked Long Beach State (.401). USC has hit better than .300 in 17 matches and north of .400 nine times including a school-record .691 in a three-set win over Dominican (March 8). USC also leads the MPSF in assists (12.75 aps) and kills (13.70 kps).Â
Â
The third-ranked Trojans (18-2, 6-0 MPSF) have won nine matches in a row—a stretch that includes seven straight wins over ranked opponents—and head into a home-and-home this week with eighth-ranked Pepperdine (14-6, 6-2). USC hosts the Waves on Thursday (April 3) at Galen Center for a 7 p.m. PT match and then heads to Malibu for a 5 p.m. match on Saturday (April 5) at Firestone Fieldhouse. Both matches will be shown live on Big Ten Plus streams.
Â
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.
Â
Â
The award is the first of Blanchette's career and is the seventh weekly honor claimed by a Trojan this season. Four different USC players have won the Molten/MPSF Defensive Player of the Week award including Dillon Klein (Jan. 27), Parker Tomkinson (Feb. 3), and Johnny Dykstra (March 17) previously.
Â
Over the weekend, Blanchette put up 19 digs to average 2.38 digs per set in a pair of wins over 13th-ranked Grand Canyon. Blanchette set the Trojans to their 17th match over .300 hitting and logged his second double-double this season (fifth career) with 43 assists and a career-high-tying 13 digs. Blanchette leads the NCAA in assists (11.30 aps) and ranks ninth in the MPSF in digs (1.66 dps). In the second meeting with the Lopes, he also picked up three blocks and had two kills in each of the matches.
Â
With Blanchette at the controls, the Trojans lead the MPSF in hitting percentage (.382) and rank second in the NCAA only to top-ranked Long Beach State (.401). USC has hit better than .300 in 17 matches and north of .400 nine times including a school-record .691 in a three-set win over Dominican (March 8). USC also leads the MPSF in assists (12.75 aps) and kills (13.70 kps).Â
Â
The third-ranked Trojans (18-2, 6-0 MPSF) have won nine matches in a row—a stretch that includes seven straight wins over ranked opponents—and head into a home-and-home this week with eighth-ranked Pepperdine (14-6, 6-2). USC hosts the Waves on Thursday (April 3) at Galen Center for a 7 p.m. PT match and then heads to Malibu for a 5 p.m. match on Saturday (April 5) at Firestone Fieldhouse. Both matches will be shown live on Big Ten Plus streams.
Â
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.
Â
Players Mentioned
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballMen's Volleyball - USC 1, Pepperdine 3: Highlights (04/26/25)
Saturday, April 26
Men's Volleyball - USC 3, Stanford 1: Highlights (04/25/25)
Friday, April 25
Men's Volleyball - USC 3, UCLA 0: Highlights (04/19/25)
Saturday, April 19
Men's Volleyball - USC 2, UCLA 3: Highlights (04/17/25)
Thursday, April 17
