Volleyball’s identity hangs in the rafters

Since its inaugural season in 1970, the USC men’s volleyball program has been steeped in success. Thus, it’s only fitting that when the Pac-12 All-Century team was named this week, four Trojans (setter Dusty Dvorak, middle blocker Bryan Ivie and outside hitters Celso Kalache and Pat Powers) made the 16-man roster. Men of Troy like them have created a legacy at USC that accounts for the program’s extremely high expectations year after year.

Expectations like that are part of the reason why this year’s slow start (1-6, 1-4 MPSF) has come as such a shock to the Trojan Nation.

“At no time did I ever think we would start 0-6,” first year head coach Jeff Nygaard said before Tuesday’s win over Pepperdine. “However, the improvement that we make on a daily basis is exactly what I was looking for.”

The Trojans started the season ranked No. 12 nationally but fell out of Monday’s rankings for the first time since the end of the 2013 season.

Senior libero and captain Brooks Varni is more impressed with the in-game experience his team has gained than than he is concerned with the rankings.

“I think they will settle themselves once we get toward the end of the season,” Varni said.

Despite the slow start, the team has shown confidence in Nygaard’s new program.

“We just got to trust our ability to do what we’ve been doing,” Varni said after Monday’s practice. “We’re just sticking to the routine. Our coaches are keeping their same mindset, and if we keep emulating that, it will help our team in the long run.”

The team’s patience finally paid off on Tuesday night with a five-set win over No. 8 Pepperdine. While the Trojans got off to a 2-0 lead, they had to patiently wait three more sets before they were able to close out the match.

“We’re getting better,” Nygaard said after the win. “We’re learning how to be mindful. Meaning, our emotions got away from us and we made sure to bring it in and take a deep breath.”

Nygaard expects that as the season goes on his young team will learn to control emotions better and consequently play more consistent volleyball.

“Guys tried to hit the ball far too hard and when you do that you lose the ability to actually control yourself, control the game, control what’s happening,” Nygaard said. “But hats off to the guys; they found a way to calm down, regroup, and get the win.”

The return of junior middle blocker Andy Benesh from a back injury was a big part of the team’s added composure.

Benesh brings experience, having played at the highest levels internationally this summer.

“I’ve stepped into more of a leadership role this year,” Benesh said. “I know what it takes to be successful.”

“I know there will be an experienced purveyor of decisions on the court that I can rely on,” Nygaard said of Benesh.

With the new lineup, the Trojans seem poised for a dramatic mid-season turnaround and a return to the program’s winning history.

Sophomore opposite Jon Rivera’s career performance Tuesday night (23 kills and .302 hitting) should serve as not only a testament to the team’s up-and-coming second half but also to the program’s growth at the dawn of the Nygaard era.

“There’s been a lot of changes this season for the better,” Rivera said after the win. “Believe in the process, [Nygaard] is a genius. he really knows what he’s doing.”

Nygaard has a plethora of volleyball accolades — he is a two-time NCAA National Champion and two-time National Player of the Year at UCLA (1992-1995), a two-time member of the U.S. Men’s Indoor Olympic team (1996-200), and an Olympian for the third time in 2004 in beach and indoor volleyball.

Earlier this week, Nygaard was named to the Pac-12 All-Century team, an distinction he said is indescribable.

“The individuals on that team are some of the best of the best and to be named in that group is an honor I can’t even begin to describe,” Nygaard said.

While Nygaard’s legacy as a one-of-a-kind player will remain attached to his name forever, his new mission is to take what he learned throughout his career and share that knowledge with this Trojans team.

He certainly learned the impact a coach can have on a team while playing under Pac-12 All-Century Coach Al Scates.

“The thing I learned at UCLA under [Scates]is that the the best players play,” Nygaard said. “If you earn it in practice, you go on the court.”

Nygaard believes in building winning teams around character, something he sees a lot of in his young squad.

“I can’t help but feel that once we start clicking, which I know we will, we have a chance at going undefeated the rest of the season,” Nygaard said. “We legitimately have that capability. Is it going to be easy? No, but we have that capability.”