No. 12 men’s volleyball brings axe and split the Trees

The No. 13 USC men’s volleyball team played two games against No. 9 Stanford this past weekend. They lost their Friday night game 3-1 but won Saturday night 3-2. The roller coaster weekend for the Trojans fortunately turned a devastating descent into a huge turnaround. 

In Friday’s game, the Trojans fell behind early, suffering a 25-22 first set loss, but evened the match up in the second set with a 26-24 win. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t extend that momentum, as they were thoroughly trounced by Stanford 25-16 in the third set and 25-20 in the fourth, giving Stanford a 3-1 match victory. Lost momentum lingered on the minds of the Trojans postgame. 

“Every point is a new opportunity, you’ve got to flush what happened before or else it will compound against you,” said junior setter Nate Tennant. 

Though the Trojans struggled as a group, Tennant played well, recording 39 assists and 9nine digs, and even swinging away for 2 kills. 

Head Coach Jeff Nygaard said Tennant’s kills exemplified his will to make the necessary play. 

“There’s just those times where, whether you’re prepared to do it or not, you have to be able to execute, so Tennant just stepped up and executed,” Nygaard said. 

When Tennant wasn’t trying his hand at hitting, he fed senior opposite hitter Simon Gallas’s hot hand. Gallas recorded his season-high of 21 kills. 

The duo’s offensive efforts helped the Trojans compete fiercely, but weren’t enough to beat the Cardinal. It was the Trojans’ fifth 3-1 loss to a ranked team in a row.  

But, the Trojans flipped the script in Sunday’s match. 

They got off to one of their fastest starts of the season, hitting .423 in the first set and held Stanford to only a .185 clip, fueling a 25-19 win. However, the Cardinal dominated the second set on their way to a 25-18 win. 

The third set was tighter, but little by little, Stanford built a 24-20 lead, putting them 1 point away from set victory. 

But it wasn’t over. The Trojans roared back with 6 unanswered points to win 26-24 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. 

Junior outside hitter Jackson Reed loomed large in the comeback. Reed put immense pressure on the Cardinal with his serving, culminating in an ace on the final point of the set. With no margin for error, many players would crack in that situation, but not Reed. 

“I’ve dreamed of that moment and I’ve visualized that moment so many times,” Reed said. “When I was getting recruited, I was talking to Nygaard and one of the intangibles I have is being clutch, and that showed today.”

The Trojans still needed to secure one more set win to ensure victory in the match. They fought hard to end the game in four, but couldn’t pull it off. The Cardinal eked out a 25-22 win, sending the match to a decisive fifth set. 

Both teams’ will to win showed in the fifth set. They matched one another point for point, and the set was tied 14 times, until the Trojans were able to get 2 points in a row when it mattered. Following freshman outside hitter Dillon Klein’s final hit off the hands of the Cardinal blockers and out of bounds, Galen Center celebrated as the Trojans emerged with a down-to-the-wire 17-15 set win and a 3-2 match victory. 

Klein was fantastic all match with a career-high 29 kills. He completely took over the game in the fifth set with 7 kills and no errors. 

Reed was another vital contributor. Reed has mostly been a serving specialist for the Trojans thus far, but in this game, Reed came off the bench and did a bit of everything, setting career highs in kills with 7, hitting percentage with a .467 clip, and digs with 9. 

“I’m stoked for [Reed], and he was a big factor in our win today,” Nygaard said. 

The victory is the Trojans’ first against a team ranked higher than them. 

“To get the win against a ranked team feels a little bit like getting the monkey off our back, we knew we could do it … we just had to put it together,” Nygaard said. 

USC’s depth was showcased all evening, as 12 different players saw the floor. Their ability to depend on anyone gives them a unique identity. 

“We like looking at our team and saying ‘We’re 19 strong,’” Nygaard said. “What that can unpack and  mean is that there are a lot of guys who can go out and do a lot of things for us.” 

The “19 strong” mentality will help to keep the Trojans energized and confident down the stretch of the season. 

The Trojans’ next test is a home match against Menlo this Friday at 5 p.m.