LOS ANGELES – The 12th-ranked USC men’s volleyball team (8-14, 1-8 MPSF) fell in straight sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-22) to No. 2 UCLA (24-2, 9-0) at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, April 6.
KEY PLAYERS
- Fr. OH Dillon Klein led USC with 10.0 points on seven kills, three blocks (one solo) and a service ace. It was his 19th time in double-digit points this season.
- Sr. MB Lucas Frassrand put up seven kills on just nine swings (1e) to hit .667 and added three blocks in two sets of action.
- Sr. OPP Simon Gallas had six kills and two blocks to go with a team-high seven digs.
- Sr. MB Kyle Paulson led the Trojans with four blocks (two solo).
- For the Bruins, Alex Knight had 12 kills (1e, 22att) and hit .500 to power the offense. Merrick McHenry tallied 10 kills on 15 swings to hit .467. Andrew Rowan put up 31 assists and had three blocks and two service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Trojans used a big 9-1 run in the middle of the first to take a momentary 18-16 lead, but UCLA reclaimed the lead and rode it out to a 25-22 win. Klein and Gallas each scored three kills in the opener and the Trojans hit .208. The Bruins totaled 13 kills on .292 hitting.
- UCLA never trailed in the second and went up, 2-0, on a 25-17 win. The Bruins hit .367 with 14 kills on 30 swings and were led by five kills from Knight and four from McHenry. The Trojans hit .174 in the second and scored on just seven kills.
- The score was tied seven times and the Trojans led at 9-8 and 10-9, but UCLA went ahead and never trailed again en route to a 25-22 win to complete the sweep. USC hit .240 in the third and posted four blocks to hold the Bruins to a .115 percentage. The Trojans got four kills from Frassrand and three from Klein in the third.
UP NEXT
- The Trojans get a rematch with the Bruins on Saturday (April 8) at Galen Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Los Angeles.
MATCH NOTES
- USC fell to 46-103 all-time against UCLA and lost its fifth straight meeting with the Bruins.
- The Trojans dropped to 2-14 in matches against AVCA ranked opponents this spring. All of USC’s losses have come against ranked foes.
For more information on the USC men’s volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/MVB. Fans of the Trojans can follow @USCmensvolley on Twitter and Instagram.
