After the No. 13 Trojans fell in consecutive sets to the No. 8 Pepperdine University Waves last Saturday, men’s volleyball will face another challenging opponent — the BYU Cougars — Friday and Saturday evening at Galen Center.

No. 6 Brigham Young University (15-7, 6-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) has a better overall record, and looking at their previous results demonstrates just how much of a challenge the upcoming weekend will be for the Trojans (11-11, 2-6).

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While BYU and USC failed to secure a win against the number one conference seed, No. 2 Grand Canyon University (20-2, 8-0), only the former was able to not only take Pepperdine to five sets but also notch successive victories over the Waves (17-7, 5-5) just last weekend.

“BYU is a very good team. We’ve got nothing to lose playing them,” said senior middle blocker Kyle Paulson in an interview with the Daily Trojan.

The Cougars also split games with No. 4 UCLA (18-4, 7-1), handing the Bruins their first conference loss. Both matches were five-set thrillers.

Key players the Trojans will need to defend are junior outside hitter Luke Benson and senior opposite hitter Kupono Browne, the leading scorers for the Cougars. They both clinched season highs of 26 kills in respective games against Pepperdine and No. 7 Stanford (9-11, 2-6).

While the Cougars are looking to those upperclassmen with veteran experience, the Trojans need to adjust to the temporary absence of an impact player — USC’s 6-foot-11 freshman middle blocker Wesley Smith.

“He’s a monster guy,” said Head Coach Jeff Nygaard. “That’s a big weapon, but to not have him, we have guys who are ready to step up. Next guy’s got to be ready to go.”

This season, Smith is fourth in total Trojan kills at 136 and second in blocks at 73. His presence at the net has been replaced by redshirt sophomore middle blocker Teddy Terrill and junior middle blocker Markus Olsson. 

USC seeks victory under the offensive firepower of sophomore outside hitter Dillon Klein, who averages 3.99 points per game and 3.51 kills per set. 

The talent is there for the Trojans. For Nygaard and his team, it’s about putting the pieces together to form a sustained, comprehensive whole.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Nygaard said. “We just have to clean up all those little things.”

Furthermore, Saturday’s game — the second against BYU — marks Senior Night. USC will celebrate Paulson, outside hitter Jackson Reed and opposite hitter Jack Deuchar. 

These three seniors have critically impacted the season thus far. Paulson leads the team in blocks with a cumulative of 92.

His season .455 hitting percentage, and powerful defensive occupancy at the net, helped USC gain an edge in its last win against No. 9 Penn State (17-6, 6-0) in March.

In January, Paulson was named the MPSF Defensive Player of the Week — his first career honor and the first Trojan to be honored this season.

Deuchar carries a cannon, as he places second in the Trojans’ overall kills, tallying 235 this season. His aggression at the net has been instrumental in breaking opponents’ defense.

Reed has been a consistent source of stability for USC in the backcourt, setting up crucial plays for Trojan attacks. His dynamic variability has placed him both as an outside hitter and libero.

Fans can cheer not only for volleyball victories but also for the seniors’ legacies Friday and Saturday at Galen Center. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.