No. 10 Men’s Volleyball hopes for repeat against UC Irvine Friday


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USC redshirt senior Chris Hall pushes the ball up against UC Irvine Wednesday night. Hall had 5 digs against the Anteaters. (Vonmay Mendoza | Daily Trojan)

After successfully sweeping UC Irvine Wednesday evening at Galen Center, the Trojans will look to achieve consecutive victories against the Anteaters to improve their 6-1 record this season. Despite their first loss at the hands of Ohio State, No. 10 USC prevented a second loss.

The Trojans secured a victory over No. 3 Penn State in a 3-1 upset victory at Westwood, before losing to No. 9 ranked Ohio State in a 1-3 defeat. Although the Trojans swept Irvine soon after, USC is 3-7 against the Anteaters in the last 10 bouts. 

Before  Wednesday’s loss, Irvine lost back-to-back matches against No. 8 BYU after starting the season with a 3-1 record. They currently hold a three-game losing streak, including the away loss at Galen Center. The Anteaters hope to create new momentum as they host the Trojans. 

Graduate student and outside/opposite hitter Sam Kobrine led the Trojans to victory with 14 kills, 2 block assists and 3 digs to quell and sweep the Anteaters. Before transferring to USC from UCLA this season, Kobrine earned a 2021 AVCA All-American honorable mention and was included in the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first team last season. 

The Trojans hope to maintain the same mentality and vigor entering the second fixture identical to the one held before Wednesday’s match. 

“UCI is a very talented team,” said Kobrine in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We are going to be ready and prepared for that first play.”

The Buckeyes’ victory over USC last Saturday marked Ohio State’s first victory of the season after narrowly losing to the No. 2  ranked UCLA by a 2-3 score. Despite the result, Kobrine believes the defeat will help the team in the long-run. 

“The first loss allowed us to reflect on some of our weaknesses,”  Kobrine said. “It’s honestly been pretty helpful for us. We know what we need to work on going into the rest of the season.”

The MPSF Offensive Player of the Week, redshirt sophomore and opposite/outside hitter Simon Gallas, managed 11 kills against Irvine in conjunction with 4 block assists to help propel the Trojans to victory. Gallas leads  the  Trojans in kills, with 103 so far this season.

Four players averaged at least 2 kills per set, with Gallas averaging approximately 4 per set. 

Kobrine credits team versatility and ability as crucial factors to achieving the double against Irvine. 

“The thing about our team is that anyone could do well on any given night,” Kobrine said. “I don’t know if I can necessarily single out one person. Anyone on any given night can perform at a high level.”

 USC will visit Brens Events Center Friday evening to continue their winning form and secure their first consecutive win over the Anteaters since their 5-game winning streak from 2009-2011. The match will start at 7 p.m.