In what should be an exciting week for Southern California volleyball fans, the No. 6 seed USC men’s volleyball team is set to host the postseason Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Volleyball Championship Tournament at Galen Center from April 17-20. 

The Trojans (12-14, 3-9 MPSF) are set to begin postseason play against No. 3 seed BYU (16-8, 7-5 MPSF) in the quarterfinals.

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The other teams in the tournament are Concordia University Irvine (6-18, 0-12 MPSF), Stanford (13-11, 6-6 MPSF), Pepperdine (17-10, 5-7 MPSF), Grand Canyon University (22-4, 10-2 MPSF) and UCLA (22-4, 11-1 MPSF). 

The tournament will open with a quarterfinals game between No. 2 seed Grand Canyon and No. 7 seed Concordia at 3 p.m., followed by the USC-BYU matchup. Then, a tilt between No. 5 seed Pepperdine and No. 4 seed Stanford at 8 p.m. will round out a full evening’s slate of games. If USC advances, it will most likely play No. 1 seed UCLA — which has a first-round bye — in the semifinals. 

The Trojans’ young roster has struggled with inexperience and inconsistency for most of the season; however, they have shown the potential to shock top-ranked teams, including a recent win April 6 against the same Cougars they will face Wednesday in their quarterfinal matchup. 

“Every time we put our head down and go to work, we can beat anybody,” said redshirt freshman outside hitter Noah Roberts in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

Roberts led the attack in the big win against BYU with 19 kills on a superb .593 hitting clip. He is a player to watch as a potential difference-maker for the Trojans throughout the tournament if he can get going again. 

Sustaining success in volleyball like Roberts and the Trojans did against BYU often takes one simple thing: focus. 

“The best teams are locked-in, and in the moment, and are able to, from there, make plays,” said USC Head Coach Jeff Nygaard. 

That’s easier said than done with the high emotions of a playoff game, and the youthful Trojans have less postseason experience to lean on when they start to struggle and those emotions are heightened. 

One thing the Trojans hope will aid the levelheaded mentality is a short-term memory of the season. Despite their struggles in the MPSF, they’ve proven they can beat BYU at home.

“Our record before this doesn’t even matter,” said sophomore outside hitter Riley Haine. “What matters is how we perform up at [the] MPSF [Volleyball Championship Tournament].” 

The support of the USC fanbase could also factor heavily. The Trojans are only 1-8 on the road but are far more elite at home, with a 10-5 record. Those 10 wins include ranked victories such as the aforementioned one against BYU and a four-set win over No. 9 ranked Penn State (21-6, 10-0 EIVA) earlier in the season. 

The players and coaching staff are hoping the Trojan faithful turn out in big numbers for the opportunity to see their team play playoff volleyball at home. It’s not an opportunity that comes around every season, and it’ll surely be unforgettable. 

“The atmosphere in Galen [Center] is electric … When you come watch a game it feels like you win as well,” Roberts said. “Because, I mean, it’s USC, we’re all family.” 

Trojan fans’ first opportunity to play a big role in their men’s volleyball team’s postseason run will come Wednesday at Galen Center, with first serve coming at 5:30 p.m.