Men’s volleyball to keep momentum against Princeton


By
 in ,

Senior outside hitter Ryan Moss gets a kill against UC Irvine at Galen Center last Wednesday. (Josh Dunst/Daily Trojan)

Ranked for the first time this season, No. 15 USC men’s volleyball will face Princeton at home Thursday night.

Senior outside hitter Ryan Moss was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week after totaling 30 kills and hitting .439 in the Trojans’ two matches last week against No. 3 UC Irvine and No. 1 Long Beach State.

Moss and senior outside hitter Jack Wyett have been leading the offense this season with 97 and 95 kills and hitting percentages of .388 and .293, respectively. Both with 37 digs, Moss and senior libero Matt Douglas also lead the defense.

This season, the Trojans are directing their efforts toward improvement.

“As a team, we can improve in every facet of the game,” Moss said. “I think we all know what we’re capable of, and we see it at times, but I still think we … can be more consistent with our play.”

The Princeton Tigers will make the most of their time out west with three games throughout the week, facing UC San Diego on Tuesday before they face USC on Thursday. The Tigers will finish their trip with a game against Cal State Northridge on Friday.

Princeton holds a 1-5 record on the season but has already faced challenging top-ranked teams this season including No. 6 Pepperdine, No. 5 UCLA and No. 4 UC Irvine. Head coach Sam Schweisky notched his 100th win for the Tigers as they took down Erskine earlier this month in their only win of the season.

Princeton’s junior opposite and middle blocker George Huhmann will be a player to watch. A preseason All-American with 65 kills and 17 blocks, he averages 3.3 kills and .9 blocks per game and boasts a .304 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Parker Dixon is also an offensive force with 64 kills, and junior outside hitter Greg Luck leads the defense with 26 digs and 16 blocks.

The Trojans will have to rely on their chemistry — an ongoing goal for USC this season, both on and off the court.

“Our team spends a lot of time together outside of the gym, and I think that’s really important,” Moss said. “It helps our chemistry, and it makes it more fun when we get into the gym and work hard together.”

Moss also credits spending time in the gym as a key to the Trojans’ early success this season.

“Our strength coach this year, Kurtis Schultz, has been an absolute privilege to work out for, and he’s pushed us in every aspect, especially physically, but mentally and emotionally too,” Moss said. “He’s just been such a big boost for our team, so whenever we have off-days before games when we get in the weight room with him, it’s always a treat.”

After upsetting UC Irvine 3-1 and falling to Long Beach State last week, the Trojans are looking to keep up the momentum they had against the Anteaters and prove that more strong wins are in store for this season.

“I’ve been on teams here in years past where we’ve taken down No. 3 Long Beach or No. 3 UCLA,” Moss said. “We’ve had big wins, but we haven’t backed it up, so whether we’re playing Princeton or UCI next week … I think we can do a great job of just preparing for every match the same way and bringing the same intensity, consistency and level of play. That’s how we’re going to get better and keep pushing forward.”

USC will host Princeton at 7 p.m. Thursday at Galen Center.