Men’s volleyball takes down CSUN but falls to UCI

The USC men’s volleyball team competed in two matchups over the weekend, defeating Cal State Northridge on the road Friday before falling in four sets to No. 4 UCI at home Saturday.

Led by redshirt sophomore outside and opposite hitter Billy Fauntleroy’s 16 kills and junior middle blocker Sam Lewis’ four blocks, the Trojans narrowly eked out the Matadors in a tough five-set battle Friday.

Each set was decided by no more than five points, and the Trojans fell into a 2-1 hole three sets in before eventually forcing it to a winner-take-all fifth frame. USC fell down 16-15 to give the Matadors match point but rattled off three straight points to pull out the decisive 18-16 victory.

The Trojans, however, were unable to carry that momentum into Saturday’s tilt with the Anteaters.

Saturday’s game was held at USC’s North Gym due to a scheduling conflict in Galen Center, the Trojans’ typical home, where the USC men’s basketball team was hosting Colorado that same night.

USC competed with the Anteaters after UCI jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, but ultimately the Trojans could not overcome UCI’s strong front row and fell to a 1-0 deficit.

UCI kept the Trojans at bay, dominating the next set to the tune of an 11-point victory. Heading into the third set, however, head coach Jeff Nygaard recalibrated the Trojans’ defense, helping USC storm right back into the match with a 25-13 victory in the frame.

“Our blocking adjustment was just to have ours set a little bit point side and then we started getting a little more touches,” freshman outside hitter Adam Flood said after the match. “That was the big turn-around game three. It was a great coaching adjustment by our coach, Jeff Nygaard, and it really showed. We had a really good third set.”

The team noticeably played with more discipline, resulting in greater quality plays and an 11-point run to give the Trojans a 24-12 lead and all but put UCI away for the set.

Despite USC slowing UCI’s offense, picking up a 20-14 lead and appearing primed for its second five-set battle in as many days, the Anteaters eventually caught up to the Trojans in the last 4 points of the match and USC fell in a four-set battle.

Despite having only one senior on the court, the Trojans played quality volleyball the entire match and made the necessary adjustments to compete with the Anteaters after a slow start.

Having hung with strong and experienced opponents like No. 9 Penn State and UCI, the Trojans are developing at a fast pace and gaining valuable experience as the young team progresses through the season.

“There is not a team [in] the NCAA that is learning faster than we are,” Nygaard said after Saturday’s match. “So you can look at the record and be a little disheartened if you want to. But I look at it as, yeah, we are doing it now so that toward the end of the season once we put it together, we can be the most dangerous team in the tournament.”

USC will travel to face UC San Diego at 7 p.m. Thursday before returning home to play Grand Canyon University at Galen Center at 7 p.m. Saturday.