Four-set fight ends in loss for No. 11 men’s volleyball

Following one of their worst losses of the season, a 3-0 beatdown away at the hands of No. 4 Long Beach State on Friday night, the No. 11 USC men’s volleyball team needed a better showing in their rematch against The Beach at Galen Center. A win would help build confidence for the stretch run of the season that lay ahead. 

Saturday night’s 3-1 defeat wasn’t the result they hoped for, but they were much improved in every facet of the game, putting up an incredible fight against one of the best teams in the country. 

“I think our block and defense was up to par. I thought our defensive spots and decisions were good. I thought when we had opportunities to control free balls, we put them where we needed to to have opportunities to run a good offense. I think our serving was pretty good,” Head Coach Jeff Nygaard said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I think the one thing we needed to do [differently] was just put more balls away.”

It didn’t always look like it was going to be an improved result. Long Beach went on a huge run in the first set, scoring 10 consecutive points to go up 23-10 and eventually winning the set 25-13 to earn a 1-0 lead in the match. 

But the Trojans stormed back with an equally dominant victory in the second set, winning 25-14. The Trojans never trailed in the set and held Long Beach to a .115 hitting percentage while hitting .455 in their own right. 

The third set was much more highly contested, in more ways than one. The score remained tight throughout, and both sides felt the importance of each point. As a result, there were several coach’s challenges and replay reviews throughout the set, and many ensuing discussions between officials and coaches. In all, the set lasted a whopping 54 minutes.

“I would say that all of those breaks and challenges started bleeding into the speed of the game,” Nygaard said. “For a while there, it was annoying and it was [like], ‘What are we doing?’ But over time, that just became the norm … for the most part, I thought we actually just kept focused pretty well during it.” 

The Trojans gave it their all every minute of the nearly hour long set, but in the end, The Beach emerged a few points ahead, capturing a 27-25 set victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The Trojans hit well enough to set themselves up for success in the fourth set. Redshirt junior opposite hitter Simon Gallas had five kills and graduate outside hitter Kevin Kobrine had three to lead the Trojans to a .250 hitting percentage while LBSU hit only .179. 

However, the Trojans were far overmatched at the service line. The Beach had four service aces in the frame, and the Trojans had five service errors. Those nine points made all the difference as The Beach emerged with a narrow 25-21 victory in the set, giving them a 3-1 win in the match. 

It was a tough loss to swallow for the Trojans, especially since they were within string distance of wins in the third and fourth sets. However, they still take pride in such a strong showing against an elite team like Long Beach. 

“As a team, we’re on the cusp of greatness,” junior setter Nate Tennant said. “We just gotta be great. We have all the pieces. We’re a great block and defense team, when our serving is on and our passing is on, we’re unstoppable. We just got to put those pieces together.” 

Tennant was one Trojan who especially shined in the match, as he put together an elite performance defensively with 15 digs, which, along with his 29 assists, gave him his second career double-double. Add in three kills and three blocks and it was clear that Tennant was playing well in every facet of the game. 

Tennant was adamant that his success would not have been possible without his incredibly skilled teammates around him. 

“We run a good system, we block really well so definitely kudos to the blockers because [Long Beach] is trying to hit around [the blockers] or blockers are getting good touches, and I’m just there,” Tennant said. 

Another Trojan who turned in a signature performance was Gallas. The redshirt junior led the team with 12 kills and added six digs, four blocks and a service ace. It continued his season-long trend of turning in his best performances in the Trojans’ matches against high ranked teams. 

Gallas’s tendency to play at an elite level against elite teams is likely due to his focused mentality. 

“Our motto is that each point counts as one point, no matter if you’re up or down,” Gallas said. 

The Trojans will need that level-headedness and focus for every single point in the coming weeks as they enter the final stretch of the season. 

The Trojans will travel to BYU next week to face the Cougars Thursday and Friday night at 6 p.m. at Smith Fieldhouse. Trojan fans watching at home can tune in to BYU TV.