Matadors prove too much for Trojans once again
It’s been a freefall over the last month for the former No. 1 USC men’s volleyball team and the Trojans couldn’t do much to stop that last night.
Strong effort · Junior opposite hitter Murphy Troy led the Trojans with 25 kills during the Trojans’ tough 3-1 loss to Cal State Northridge. - Nathaniel Gonzalez | Daily Trojan
“We embarrassed the university and the athletic department tonight,” USC coach Bill Ferguson said. “I was going to say something about nobody coming to watch us and I can see why right now. I don’t know why anyone would come to watch us.”
No. 6 USC (8-6, 5-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), lost its fifth match in the last seven games last night when it was picked apart by No. 5 Cal State Northridge 3-1 (30-25, 24-30, 30-22, 30-21).
Aside from the second set, USC was never really in the match. CSUN, who won for the 16th straight time against the Trojans, had eight point leads in the middle of both the third and fourth sets, and USC was never able to recover.
“It’s lack of effort, lack of focus, lack of heart,” Ferguson said.
After winning the second set, it looked like USC was ready to turn the match around. But the Matadors built up a 19-10 lead. The Trojans were able to cut that lead in half, to 20-16, but just as they seemed to do done all night, the Trojans served into the net to halt their momentum.
“We definitely ended a lot of our own momentum tonight, whether it was a bad pass or bad serve after a big run,” junior opposite hitter Murphy Troy said.
USC also was unable to get anything going on the offensive end. The Trojans had a .043 hitting percentage in the first set and a .156 hitting percentage for the entire match. It seemed like almost everytime Troy and sophomore outside hitter Tony Ciarelli went for a kill, a Matador was waiting on the other side of the net to dig it.
“I was not happy with any phase of what we were doing, other than the fact that our uniforms were clean and we matched,” Ferguson said. “We can’t play offense to save our life right now.”
One area USC is struggling at is the second outside hitter position, complimenting Ciarelli. Junior Tri Bourne started the season in the position, but injuries during the fall impeded his progress, and has since been pulled for freshman Maddison McKibbin.
McKibbin started his second game last night but had trouble early, especially in the first set when he posted a -.400 hitting percentage. He was able to find some kills later in the match, but still finished with a -.142 hitting percentage. Despite his struggles, Ferguson opted to leave him in the match.
“Part of his problems statistically happened at the beginning. He got about three or four poor sets at the beginning of the match,” Ferguson said. “Part of [the reason I kept him in there] was his passing. But Maddison’s still trying to find his way.”
He’s not alone. The Trojans are searching for their way as well.
Dear Mikex,
I feel your disappointment with R Team. However, this is the same coach and team [-Luke at libero]
who ran the table in the MPSF and beat defending champ PSU in semi final
and lost thrilling 5 set match to UCI.
Coach Ferguson is a very good coach.
Mick Haley has won multiple NCAA’s with Taxes and USC.
Sure the coaches have to take some of the blame….
I am also embarrassed we lost twice to PEP & 16 in row to csun….
and 5 0f last 7. I Just got back from Olympics….
I will be at Galen for rest of home games and for many
road games also.
I firmly believe that we will find our stride and battle back .
I am sad we will not be hosting the final four of MPSF
because our record ia only 5-4 at present.
Keep the faith my dart throwing friend and take a sip form the glass half full.
Troy will rebound…led by Murphy Troy, Tony, Hunter, Austin,
Riley & Maddy…….the libero has talent and will also rise up…
you watch…don not count us out.. FIGHT ON
Ferguson is a joke of a coach. His offense is too predictable and VERY SLOW. This team needs a coach who can get the guys to play at their maximum potential. Murphy is not an opposite. He can’t hit with power from that side. Madison not an outside.. He hits better as a leftie on the right side and Ferguson is too dumb to figure it out. He is ruining the careers of so many talented players who could have gone anywhere and excelled. This team has two players who considered the number one recruit in the nation and yet they look like crap on offense.
ferguson is a club coach and why he was hired at a school with tradition is beyond me. USC will always be an underachiever as long as he is the coach. As far as attendence goes it has always sucked so I don’t see why that’s even worth bringing up. This team plays a very boring slow offense. The same slow crap that Mick haley runs with the women’s team. I guess he is Ferguson’s mentor..
Agree with Coach Ferguson first about no one coming to watch the match, and second it was an embarrassment to the fight on motto of the university. Playing better on the road at least taking the match to five sets twice and even beating the bruins while at home being swept by Pepperdine and winning only once against Stanford and CSUN. A disgrace losing sixteen in a row to the Matadors! Just my observation is the libero position is down a lot from last season with Luke Morris graduating whereas the new guy Pizula has a number of balls get by him or are misplayed. Too many mental errors with kills and serves. The coaching staff has to take some of the blame for not preparing the team especially for the second matches of the season vs. the same opponent.