Men’s volleyball resumes season at UCSB

The men’s volleyball team heads up to UC Santa Barbara to face the No. 8 Gauchos on Wednesday.

USC (3-11, 3-9 MPSF) is coming off of a 5-set upset over then-ranked No. 5 Hawaii. Senior outside hitter Alex Slaught looks to use the victory as motivation.

“I think it’s something that we can use to build some momentum for the rest of the season going forward,” Slaught said.

In the win against Hawaii, junior outside hitter Lucas Yoder put up a season-high 21 kills. His cousin, sophomore setter Jack Yoder, put up a season-high 56 assists.

Lucas Yoder talked about how important it was to get the win over the Rainbow Warriors and how it was fun to put up good numbers alongside his cousin.

“I’ve played on every team with [Jack],” Lucas Yoder said. “He’s a really fun setter to play with.”

Jack Yoder pointed out how the team is continuing to improve.

“We’re playing better each game and we’re finding that rhythm,” Jack Yoder said. “It’s good to see out here.”

The last time the Trojans and the Gauchos met, USC hosted UCSB ((11-6, 7-5 MPSF), but fell to them in four sets (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 23-25).

Slaught and Yoder led USC with 16 kills each. Senior middle blocker Tommy Leonard put up 11 kills in the match.

Plenty has changed for the Trojans since the last time they faced the Gauchos. Notably, junior middle blocker Andy Benesh has returned to the lineup. Despite playing five less matches than the rest of the starters, Benesh is second on the team in blocks with 30, while averaging .77 blocks per set. Leonard leads the team with 47 blocks, averaging .85 per set.

Benesh brings more than just a strong defensive presence, he also brings offensive aggressiveness. The junior has 64 kills on the season while hitting .364, the team’s second highest hitting percentage.

One factor that has been in the Trojans’ favor recently is the team’s ability to come into the match at anytime. Head coach Jeff Nygaard has been playing around with lineups and making substitutions throughout matches.

Slaught credits the team’s ability to always being ready and “comfortable” to go in.

“We all do a good job of when our number is called, just coming in and doing our job,” Slaught said. “I think it’s a strength that we can work off of for the rest of the season.”

For the Gauchos, redshirt junior opposite Matt Marsh led the team during the last matchup with 19 kills and 3 aces. Marsh leads his team with 202 kills on the season, a 38 kill difference from the second highest. The Trojans will have to utilize the blocking they’ve begun to build up over the last few matches to limit Marsh.

USC has continued to put work in during practice. Since their win against Hawaii, they’ve had an eight-day break following a homestand of four matches in seven days. Despite their losing record, the team is confident that their hard work will start to pay off.

“This team works hard every single day,” Slaught said. “It hasn’t shown on the court, but we know we’re getting better and we’re working as hard as we can.”

The Trojans face the Gauchos Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara.