Trojans fall to Pepperdine in straight sets

The No. 8-ranked Trojans dropped three straight sets (20-25, 14-25, 20-25)  on its way to a road defeat at the hands  of No. 3- ranked Pepperdine on Thuesday night.

USC Trojans  (14-8, 12-7 MPSF) will not have much time to recover, as the team now heads up north to take on No. 14 Stanford (9-13, 6-10 MPSF).

Even though the team lost against Pepperdine, the Trojans now have the opportunity ro redeem themselves against the Cardinal, in hopes of  regaining a boost of momentum heading down the final stretch of the regular season.

In their last homestand, the Trojans outlasted both No. 7 UCSB and No. 12 UCLA in five-set matches. The matches were filled with high, down-to-the-wire intensity; some could even say heart-attack inducing intensity.

“The biotech companies are lining up to sponsor us for heart medication,” head coach Bill Ferguson joked.

According to junior libero and captain Brooks Varni, the team’s recent success has once again created a lively atmosphere.

“We’re having fun,” Varni s. “That’s the most important thing that kind of gets lost in all this.”

“Fun” has definitely helped the team get back into its early-season groove. For players like Varni, having fun keeps the focus on the court, and the team’s play has improved because of it.

“The reemergence of Brooks Varni — my gosh,” Ferguson said. “He’s come back and he’s doing it with confidence.”

Back in January, the Trojans handled the Stanford Cardinal in three-straight sets (25-16, 27-25, 25-19). Other than briefly during the second set, Stanford didn’t prove to be much of a challenge for USC.

The last time the Trojans faced the Cardinal, senior middle blocker Robert Feathers had a season-high .750 hitting percentage. With nine kills, Feathers tied a team-high along with freshman outside hitter Larry Tuileta, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Christopher Orenic and junior opposite Josh Kirchner.

When it comes to the Trojans’ offense, run by senior setter Micah Christenson, there have been fantastic performances from countless players.

Tuileta has been solid and dependable in the team’s recent matches, tallying up a combined 26 kills in the last two matches.

“He’s the stable guy on the outside hitting core,” Ferguson said.

Most recently, the Trojans have amped up their attack in the middle. Ferguson has been rotating between sophomore Andy Benesh, junior Tommy Leonard and Feathers. The rotation of the three — between their hitting, serving and blocking — has created a nearly unstoppable force at the net for USC.

“The three middles are all playing at a really high level,” Ferguson said.

“It gives us an option to change things up if we need to.”

The Trojans’ upcoming match against Stanford is one of their last three conference games. While the Trojans have already clinched a playoff spot, continuing to win would allow them to move up in the rankings and earn a better draw in tournament play.

The Trojans will head up to Palo Alto to take on the Cardinal this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.