Undefeated men’s volleyball returns home


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After two road wins — a sweep over UC San Diego and five-set brawl against UC Irvine — the No. 2 undefeated Trojans (5-0, 4-0 MPSF) look to continue their dominance at home against No. 11 Long Beach State (5-2, 2-2 MPSF).

Since then, the Trojans have surged up the rankings from No. 5 to No. 2. If the Trojans continue to play at such a high level, they will be in serious contention for the NCAA title when the tournament comes around in May. USC is one of two undefeated ranked teams: Loyola-Chicago, the 2014 defending national champion, holds the No. 1 spot.

For tonight’s match, the Trojans come in with all of the momentum. The grueling win over then-No. 3 UC Irvine emphasized the true strength and talent of this Trojans roster.

The balanced offensive attack anchored by senior setter Micah Christenson has proved nearly unstoppable for opponents. As a captain, Christenson’s awareness and natural leadership skills have created a dynamic, relentless attack.

Led by junior opposite Josh Kirchner, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Christopher Orenic and middle blocker Robert Feathers, the Trojans control the net. Feathers currently leads the MPSF in hitting percentage at .507. When Kirchner, Orenic and Feathers all get into a rhythm, the Trojans dominate play.

Kirchner has shined in the last three matches for the Trojans, starting the last two. Kirchner tied the team-high of nine kills against Stanford and recorded a team-high of 12 and 15 kills against UC San Diego and UC Irvine, respectively. His play has transitioned him into a key role in USC’s offense. His seamless transition into the starting six for the Trojans showcases the team’s depth. There is no step down when pulling players from the bench, adding multiple layers.

USC continues to dominate from the service line, recording five aces in each of their last two matches.

Not only is this team deeply talented, but they are also incredibly close. Their togetherness has translated to cohesive execution on the court. Specifically with regard to their hard-fought win over the Anteaters, Christenson noted that the win really highlighted the team’s “grit.” To put the intensity of the match in perspective, the Trojans came back from a 7-2 deficient in the fifth set.

“It shows a lot of the toughness and camaraderie of our team,” Christenson said.

For Long Beach, outside hitter Dan Glamack and middle blockers Taylor Gregory and Bryce Yould fuel the offense. Libero Ryan Windisch mans the back line and averages 3.09 digs per set — he is second in the MPSF and third in the country. The 49ers will put up a fight but if the Trojans can both silence Glamack, Gregory and Yould as well as target their shots away from Windisch, USC should come away from the match with a third consecutive home victory.

In MPSF play, the 49ers beat Stanford and UC San Diego and lost to Pepperdine and UC Irvine; their most recent match was a loss to No. 5 Pepperdine.

The Trojans battle the 49ers tonight at 7 p.m. in the Galen Center.