After a weekend that saw No. 3 USC end its ten-game winning streak with a loss against No. 8 Pepperdine, the Trojans will be looking to rebound against No. 13 Stanford on Friday and Saturday.

Facing the final stretch before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament, USC (19-3, 7-1 MPSF) will need to take care of business against Stanford (9-12, 2-6 MPSF) if it wants to continue to remain ranked No. 1 in the conference before facing off against No. 2 UCLA (17-4, 7-1 MPSF). 

“We’ve got four matches left in conference, and it’s in our control, meaning on our side of the net, to earn a top seed,” said Head Coach Jeff Nygaard. “But then it also means we go into the MPSF Tournament, and we want to hunt for either one of those two, because we want to get to [the] NCAA and we want to win the national title.”

USC is coming off its worst hitting performance of the season with 0.133 against Pepperdine (15-7, 7-3 MPSF). However, it was a blemish on what has been an otherwise great season for the Trojans. USC has been one of the best hitting teams in the NCAA, hitting 0.364.

In conference play, USC has been impressive. The Trojans are the top offensive team in the MPSF, leading in hitting percentage, assists per set and kills per set. 

Sophomore setter Caleb Blanchette’s ability to direct USC’s attack has powered the Trojans throughout the season. Blanchette’s elite decision-making has shown up on the stat sheet as he leads the NCAA in assists per set at 11.08. 

“Even if we’re passing poorly, he still puts the ball where it needs to be,” said freshman libero Johnny Dykstra. 

Freshmen players have also been instrumental to the Trojans’ success this season.

USC continues to sit as the nation’s top blocking team with 2.80 per set. Freshman middle blocker Parker Tomkinson is eighth in blocks per set in the NCAA, contributing massively to the Trojans’ continued dominance at the net. 

Averaging 9.19 digs per set, the Trojans sit atop the MPSF and 16th in the NCAA  with digs. Key to USC’s back row defense is Dykstra, who sits at No. 1 in the MPSF in digs per set with 2.30. 

USC’s pin hitters have also continued to be formidable this year. 

Leading the way is junior outside hitter Dillon Klein, who did not play on Saturday. Not having Klein — who is having an outstanding year and sits 10th in kills per set with 4.09 in the NCAA and leads the MPSF in kills per set — certainly changes USC’s attack. However, he is expected to play against the Cardinal. 

Redshirt senior opposite hitter Jack Deuchar only played two sets in Saturday’s loss against Pepperdine before Nygaard decided to sit him out for the match. Deuchar, who is having his best season with USC with 3.68 kills per set while hitting 0.312, is also expected to play. 

The team is setting the tone for what they expect from themselves: to win and win together. 

“We just kind of set this to the tone as well. Dillon and I are team captains, and we made sure that everyone knows we’re aiming to win the national championship this season,” said graduate middle blocker Guy Genis. “And what it’s going to take is every single one of us.” 

Meanwhile, Stanford will be hungry for a win after losing two matches on the road to Brigham Young University (17-7, 5-3 MPSF) last week. 

Despite a less-than-stellar season for Stanford, it is certainly capable of taking over matches. The Cardinal put up a gritty performance to beat No. 4 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (22-3, 5-1 Big West) in February, handing Hawai‘i one of its few losses of the year.

If Stanford intends to challenge USC, it will need its top players to show up like they have in some of their biggest wins of the year. 

“I heard somebody once say they play a very gritty style of volleyball, and they’ve had some big-time wins. We have to respect Stanford,” Nygaard said. 

A Cardinal offense conducted by junior setter Theoren Brouillette and led by junior outside hitter Theo Snoey is capable of performing against any team. 

Snoey leads his team in total kills and kills per set. He also sits 12th in the NCAA and second in the MPSF in kills per set. Meanwhile, Brouillette sits seventh in the NCAA in assists per set with 10.36.

USC will also have to find a way to contain junior opposite hitter Moses Wagner. Wagner has helped boost Stanford’s attack as he sits second in kills and kills per set and has stepped up for Stanford at the net, leading the team in blocks. Wagner recorded a career high eight blocks against BYU, a match where Stanford recorded a season high 14.5 blocks despite losing. 

USC will face Stanford on Friday at 7 p.m. and on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Galen Center.