USC men’s volleyball set to face off against Northridge


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The No. 1 ranked USC men’s volleyball team look to extend their winning streak to three at Cal State Northridge today.

Junior outside hitter Tony Ciarelli won both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and MPSF Player of the Week awards for his performances against Stanford and Pacific. He finished hitting .667 against defending NCAA champion Stanford with no errors, and also had no receiving or service attempts against Pacific.

Strong play · Junior outside hitter Tony Ciarelli was named AVCA and MPSF Player of the Week as he helped USC to two wins at home. - Brandon Hui | Daily Trojan

“He tore Stanford and Pacific apart with his serving and hitting,” said senior opposite Murphy Troy. “I’m not surprised he won it, and he definitely deserves it.”

Ciarelli did not attend practice Tuesday, but is expected to play against Northridge (4-10, 3-6).

Troy missed the match against Pacific with the flu, but is back in full force and will be on the court against Northridge.

Redshirt freshman opposite Tanner Jansen had his first career start in place of the All-American Troy. He finished with seven kills earned at a .600 clip to go along with seven digs and three blocks.

“It’s one of our best strengths to play against such a great second team in practice every day,” said senior setter Riley McKibbin. “A lot of other teams can only stall the game with substitutes, but ours can win matches for us.”

When Northridge first traveled to the Galen Center in early January, they were swept 25-18, 25-17, 25-20.

The Trojans’ victory was also the first in 17 matches against the Matadors.

The young Northridge squad, however, has developed with age and shown large improvement at home. USC (8-1, 8-1) has not won in the Matadome in eight matches.

“Northridge has gotten much, much better,” said USC coach Bill Ferguson. “They finally solidified their lineup and the young guys now have half of a season under their belts.”

Included in the new lineup is freshman middle blocker Greg Faulkner, one of three freshman in Northridge’s starting lineup. The Matadors will also start two sophomores.

“They have a lot of new starters, kind of the opposite of us,” Troy said. “We have a lot of experience. They’ll look very different tomorrow night.”

The Trojans currently lead the MPSF in hitting efficiency, hitting at .390 for the season. McKibbin, who leads the conference in assists, averaging 12.06 per set, is a big part of that. As is Troy, who leads the conference with 4.64 kills per set.

“Northridge has gotten to be very good at digging behind one-man blocks,” Ferguson said.

In practice, the Trojans have been working on steadily adding to their attacking scheme, employing quick attacks from back-row players to keep defenses honest.

“We’re gonna be diverse to the point where we can take whatever’s given to us,” Ferguson said. “We’re gonna force them to spread out and take the middle, the pins, whatever is available.”

First serve is at Northridge’s Matadome at 7 p.m. tonight.