USC MEN S VOLLEYBALL. 6 National Championships - 14 NCAA Appearances - 20 Olympians - 34 All-Americans - 7 College Players of Year

USC MEN S VOLLEYBALL 6 National Championships - 14 NCAA Appearances - 20 Olympians - 34 All-Americans - 7 College Players of Year MVB SID: Tim Tessalone (tessalon@usc.edu, 213-740-8480 o, 213-725-3572 c) 2017 SCHEDULE (10-12 Overall, 5-9 MPSF) DATE OPPONENT (USC-Opp. Rank) TIME/RES Jan. 3 at Concordia (NR-NR) W 3-1 Jan. 6 $at Ohio State (NR-1) L 1-3 Jan. 7 $vs. Penn State (NR-13) L 2-3 Jan. 11 *Long Beach State (NR-3) W 3-1 % Jan. 14 *Cal State Northridge (NR-13) L 0-3 Jan. 18 *at UC Santa Barbara (NR-12) L 2-3 Jan. 20 *at UCLA (NR-2) L 1-3% Jan. 26 *at Stanford (NR-8) L 0-3% Jan. 28 *at Pepperdine (NR-9) L 2-3 Feb. 3 *at UC Irvine (NR-6) W 3-1 Feb. 4 *UC San Diego (NR-NR) L 1-3 Feb. 10 *BYU (NR-3) L 0-3 Feb. 16 *Stanford (NR-6) W 3-0% Feb. 18 *Pepperdine (NR-9) W 3-2 Feb. 22 *at Cal State Northridge (14-11) W 3-2 Feb. 24 *at Long Beach State (14-2) L 0-3 March 2 *at Hawaii (14-4) L 0-3 March 3 at Hawaii (14-4) L 0-3 March 9 Lewis (14-5) W 3-0 March 13 George Mason (12-NR) W 3-0 March 14 Harvard (12-NR) W 3-2 March 19 Sacred Heart (12-NR) W 3-2 March 24 Concordia (12-NR) 7 p.m. March 25 Alumni 4 p.m. March 29 *UCLA 7 p.m.% March 31 *UC Santa Barbara 7 p.m. April 6 *Cal Baptist 7 p.m.% April 8 *at Cal Baptist 7 p.m. April 15 MPSF Quarterfinals (at TBA) 7 p.m. April 20 MPSF Semifinals (at TBA) 5 & 7 p.m. April 22 MPSF Final (at TBA) 7 p.m. A28/29/M2 NCAA Champ. (at Ohio State) TBA May 4 NCAA Champ. (at Ohio State) TBA May 6 NCAA Champ. (at Ohio State) TBA $AVCA Showcase Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge *Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match %Televised live on Pac-12 Network Home matches (in bold) played in Galen Center, except 3/9 Lewis and 3/13 George Mason in North Gym and 3/24 Concordia and 3/25 Alumni in Galen Center Pavilion All times are local to match site USC QUICK FACTS Location Los Angeles, Calif., 90089 Enrollment 43,000 (19,000 undergraduates) Colors Cardinal and Gold Nickname Trojans Home Court (Capacity) Galen Center (10,258) Conference Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Head Coach Jeff Nygaard USC/Career Record 17-31, Second Year Assistants Gary Sato, Todd Hollenbeck, Brian Schirripa VB Office Phone (213) 740-3838 Press Row Phone (213) 821-1840, (213) 740-3900 Tickets (213) 740-4672, USCTrojans.com/tickets USCTrojans.com @USCmensvolley THIS WEEK IN USC MEN S VOLLEYBALL (10-12 overall, 5-9 MPSF, No. 12) Vs. Concordia (17-9) -- Fri., March 24, 7 p.m. PT, USC Galen Center Pavilion Non-Conference match Live Stats and Live Audio on USCTrojans.com Vs. Alumni -- Sat., March 25, 4 p.m. PT, USC Galen Center Pavilion Exhibition match NO. 12 USC MEN S VOLLEYBALL HOSTS CONCORDIA, THEN ALUMNI THE FACTS Before returning to its crucial final 2 weeks of MPSF play, the No. 12-ranked USC men s volleyball team (10-12 overall, 5-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)--riding a 4-match winning streak, its longest since 2015--plays the last of 5 straight non-conference matches when it hosts Concordia (17-9) on Friday (March 24) at 7 p.m. PT. The Trojans then welcome an Alumni team for an exhibition match on Saturday (March 25) at 4 p.m. PT. Because of a scheduling conflict in the Galen Center, both matches will be held in the adjacent Galen Center Pavilion (public entry is from the Pavilion s west stairs). FOLLOW THE TROJANS All of USC s home matches are video- and audio-streamed live for free on USCTrojans.com and the TuneIn Radio app, except for matches televised live on Pac-12 Network (those matches only are audio-streamed). Some of USC s road matches are audiocast live on USCTrojans.com and the TuneIn Radio app. USC s online announcers are onetime Northeastern player/winthrop assistant coach Paul Duchesne and ex-trojan player Paul Yoder (one of 6 Yoders to have played volleyball at USC). Fans can also follow USC home matches through Live Stats at USCTrojans.com and all matches via Twitter (@USCmensvolley). TICKETS Tickets for USC men s volleyball home matches are available online at USCTrojans.com/tickets, by calling (213) 740-GOSC (4672) or at the Galen Center box office. RANKINGS USC is ranked No. 12 in the current AVCA Division I-II Top 15 poll. Concordia is not ranked. Release Date: March 21, 2017 OPPONENTS USC has won all 4 of its all-time matches against Concordia, including a 3-1 victory to open the 2017 season. Concordia starting outside hitter Andrew Hammer is the cousin of USC quarterback Sam Darnold. LAST WEEK Lucas Lossone had 15 kills and Andy Benesh hit.538 with 14 kills and 8 blocks to help No. 12 USC overcome a 2-set deficit and defeat Sacred Heart, 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22, 18-16, in a nonconference match on March 19 in USC s Galen Center. It was the first-ever meeting between the schools and gave USC its first 4-match winning streak since 2015. Gianluca Grasso added 8 kills and 10 digs for the Trojans, while Matt Douglas also had 10 digs and Ryan Moss had 5 blocks off the bench. The teams hit at an even pace (.260 to.255 in favor of USC), but Troy had more blocks (15.0 to 8.5) and SHU had more digs (44 to 37). NEXT WEEK Next week, USC re-enters MPSF play when it hosts No. 6 UCLA on March 29 and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara on March 31, both at 7 p.m. PT in the Galen Center. The UCLA match will be shown live on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Los Angeles. #FIGHTON 1

2017 MPSF STANDINGS (Through March 21) W L GB *Long Beach State 14 1 -- *BYU 13 1 0.5 *Hawaii 10 4 3.5 *UC Irvine 9 5 4.5 UCLA 8 6 5.5 Pepperdine 6 8 7.5 Stanford 6 8 7.5 USC 5 9 8.5 UC Santa Barbara 5 9 8.5 Cal State Northridge 5 10 9 UC San Diego 3 11 10.5 Cal Baptist 1 13 12.5 *Clinched MPSF Tournament berth 2017 AVCA COACHES POLL (March 20) 1. Long Beach St. 2. Ohio State 3. BYU 4. Hawaii 5. UC Irvine 6. UCLA 7. Lewis 8. Pepperdine 9. Stanford 10. Loyola-Chicago 11. Ball State 12. USC 13. Penn State 14. CS Northridge 15. UC Santa Barbara Others: Grand Canyon 2017 OFF THE BLOCK MEDIA POLL (March 21) 1. Ohio State 2. Long Beach St. 3. BYU 4. Hawaii 5. UC Irvine 6. UCLA 7. Lewis 8. Pepperdine 9. USC 10. Stanford Others: Loyola- Chicago, Ball State, Grand Canyon, New Jersey Institute of Technology 2017 FLOVOLLEYBALL POLL (March 20) 1. Ohio State 2. Long Beach St. 3. BYU 4. UC Irvine 5. Lewis 6. Hawaii 7. UCLA 8. Pepperdine 9. Stanford 10. Loyola-Chicago Others: Ball State, CS Northridge, George Mason, Grand Canyon, Penn State, UC Santa Barbara, USC YODER Lucas Yoder, a 6-5 senior who started 2 previous years at outside hitter, is one of 6 Yoders to play volleyball at USC. He is the Trojans primary attacker when in the lineup and is the team s top passer. He was MPSF Player of the Week and FloVolleyball National Player of the Week on Jan. 16 for his efforts against Long Beach State (28 kills,.404, 6 digs, 2 blocks) and Cal State Northridge (19 kills,.552). Entering 2017, he was a.285 career hitter, with 673 kills and 211 digs (he was the 2014 National and MPSF Freshman of the Year). Last year, he had a team-high 273 kills (hitting.266) and added 96 digs and 33 blocks as he made All-MPSF honorable mention. The 2017 All-American candidate is on the 2017 Off The Block Karch Kiraly Award Watch List (nation s top outside attacker). He missed 2 early-season 2017 matches (at Stanford and Pepperdine) with an ankle sprain and in the mid-season he sat at Long Beach State and Hawaii and home versus Lewis, George Mason, Harvard and Sacred Heart with an abdominal strain. GRASSO JOINS USC Gianluca Grasso, an All-Conference junior college outside hitter and the son of parents who played on Brazil s national teams, joined USC on Jan. 23, 2017, as a sophomore for the 2017 season. The 6-2 Grasso, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the 2016 All-Pacific Coast Conference Co-MVP as he had 241 kills, 145 digs, 40 aces and 34 blocks as a freshman outside hitter at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa (Calif.). The Pirates were the state runnerup. He did not play volleyball in 2015 after attending Andrews Osborne Academy in Willoughby (Ohio) in 2014. He spent his first 2 years of high school in Puerto Rico. His father, Mauro, and mother, Rejane, played volleyball on Brazil s national teams (his father coaches professionally), while his brother, Marco, was a setter at Pacific (2013-14) and Ohio State (2015-16), including on the Buckeyes 2016 NCAA champions, and his sister, Carol, played volleyball at Salt Lake Community College (2013-14) and Cal State Bakersfield (2015-16) and also beach volleyball at Cal State Bakersfield (2015). He sprained his ankle several weeks after arriving at USC and missed 4 matches (BYU, Stanford, Pepperdine, Cal State Northridge). BENESH Andy Benesh, a 6-9 senior who was sidelined for the first 5 matches of 2016 with a back injury, returned in 2017 after starting the past 3 years at middle blocker. He currently is 11th nationally in blocks (1.07, fourth in MPSF ) and 12th in hitting percentage (.410, fifth in MPSF). He hit.377 last spring with 109 kills, 52 blocks, 37 digs and 15 aces. Entering 2017, the 2014 and 2015 U.S. Men s Junior National Teamer was hitting.409 in his career. He made 2015 All-American honorable mention and is Troy s 2017 captain. The 2017 All-American candidate is on the 2017 Off The Block Ryan Millar Award Watch List (nation s top middle attacker). SETTERS USC s most experienced setter and current starter is 6-6 junior Gert Lisha, a former Lewis transfer who started half of USC s matches in 2016 (he missed most of that season s first month with a broken hand) and posted 378 assists, 31 digs and 15 blocks. Lisha currently is 10th nationally in assists (10.59, third in MPSF). He gained valuable international experience this summer when he played for his native Albania in the 2016 CEV European League. Then there are 6-5 senior Michael Mullahey, who started 5 matches entering 2017 (he was sidelined the first 20 matches of 2016 with a knee injury), but he has been sidelined in 2017 with a concussion, and 6-3 first-year freshman Matt Faraimo of Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego (Calif.), a 2016 All-CIF San Diego first teamer (he has a relative who played football at USC). NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Yr. Hometown (High School/Last School) 1 Jon Rivera 6-6 195 OP Jr. San Juan, Puerto Rico (Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola) 4 Michael Chang 5-8 165 L Fr. Irvine (Beckman) 5 Matt Douglas 5-10 170 L So. Pacific Palisades (Loyola) 6 Vinnie Rios 5-9 160 L Sr.* Torrance (South Torrance/Pepperdine) 7 Gert Lisha 6-6 215 S Jr.* Naperville, IL (Naperville/Lewis) 8 Michael Mullahey 6-5 210 S Sr.* Manhattan Beach (Loyola) 9 Gianluca Grasso 6-2 195 OH So. Sao Paulo, Brazil (Andrews Osborne Academy/Orange Coast JC) 10 Woody Cook 6-3 180 OH So. Oak Park (Oak Park) 11 Matt Faraimo 6-3 180 S Fr. San Diego (Cathedral Catholic) 12 Sean Morrissey 6-5 195 OH Fr. Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach) 13 Jackson Barrett 6-7 200 MB Fr. Redwood City (Crystal Springs Uplands) 14 Christopher Orenic 6-3 175 OH Sr.* Manhattan Beach (Mira Costa) 16 Tyler Resnick 6-8 225 MB Fr.* Newbury Park (Newbury Park) 17 Aaron Strange 6-4 180 OPP Fr. San Clemente (San Clemente) 18 Matt Hassel 6-8 185 MB Fr. Bay Shore, NY (Bay Shore) 19 Connor Inlow 6-6 205 MB So.* Manhattan Beach (Mira Costa) 20 Blake Markland 6-4 200 OH So. Manhattan Beach (Mira Costa) 21 Jackson Wedbush 6-2 180 OPP Fr. Manhattan Beach (Mira Costa) 22 Lucas Lossone 6-8 190 MB-OP Fr. Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) 23# Andy Benesh 6-9 205 MB Sr. Rancho Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes) 24 Ryan Moss 6-8 225 MB-OH So. Corona del Mar (Corona del Mar) 25 Lucas Yoder 6-5 195 OH Sr. San Clemente (San Clemente) *Used up redshirt year Bold: Likely travel roster Bold Italics: Projected Starter #Team Captain Head Coach: Jeff Nygaard (second year) Assistant Coaches: Gary Sato (second year), Todd Hollenbeck (second year) Volunteer Coach: Brian Schirripa (first year) Student Assistant Coach: Josh Kirchner (first year) Technical Coordinator: Jeffrey Liu (second year) Athletic Trainer: Lisa Noceti-DeWit Strength and Conditioning Coach: Brent Metz Director of Operations: Carlos Navarro 2

USC IN 2017 NCAA/MPSF STATISTICAL RANKINGS Individual* NCAA/MPSF AVG Aces -- -- -- Assists Gert Lisha 10th/3rd 10.59 Blocks Andy Benesh 11th/4th 1.07 Digs Matt Douglas 30th/9th 2.01 Hitting Percentage Andy Benesh 12th/5th.410 Kills -- -- -- Points -- -- -- *Top 50 NCAA/Top 20 MPSF Team Aces USC 367th/12th 0.95 Assists USC 9th/7th 11.70 Blocks USC 30th/11th 1.89 Digs USC 23rd/7th 8.38 Hitting Percentage USC 22nd/9th.254 Kills USC 11th/7th 12.24 Opponent Hitting Percentage USC 36th/10th.291 STAT NOTES Of USC s 86 sets played in 2017, 27 have been decided by the minimum 2 points (USC has won 15 of them)...usc had 9 consecutive sets that were decided by the minimum 2 points (from the first set at UC Irvine on Feb. 3 through the first set versus BYU on Feb. 10) and Troy won 4 of them...usc s 42-40 second set loss at UC Irvine on Feb. 3 was both the most points ever scored by USC and most surrendered by the Trojans in a set in program history dating to 1970 (it also was the most total points in any MPSF set since 2008)...USC s sweep over Stanford on Feb. 16 was its first 3-set victory in a 16-match span, dating to late in the 2016 season... USC s mid-february wins over Stanford and Pepperdine were its first back-to-back wins of 2017...USC s 3-match win streak in February and then its 4-match win streak in March were its longest since winning 5 in a row near the end of 2015. OUTSIDE HITTERS In addition to Lucas Yoder and Gianluca Grasso (see above), 4 other players are battling to see action at outside hitter. They are: 6-3 senior Christopher Orenic, who has 23 career starts entering 2017 (he started 3 times and saw action in 18 matches in 2016, getting 42 kills), 6-3 soph Woody Cook, who had 5 starts while playing in 11 matches last year and getting 40 kills and 33 digs, 6-4 soph Blake Markland, who saw limited action in 5 matches last season but whose play has improved noticeably since then, and 6-5 first-year freshman Sean Morrissey of Huntington Beach (Calif.) High, a 2016 AVCA prep All-American first team and All-CIF Division I first team honoree. OPPOSITE HITTERS Three players are competing for the starting opposite hitter job. There are 6-6 junior Jon Rivera of Puerto Rico, a 2016 starter when he posted 170 kills, 80 digs and 24 blocks, 6-4 first-year freshman Aaron Strange of San Clemente (Calif.) High, whose sister, Alexa, was part of the USC women s beach program that captured a pair of national championships, 6-7 first-year freshman Lucas Lossone of Redondo Union High in Redondo Beach (Calif.), a 2016 AVCA prep All-American first teamer whose mother, Cica Baccelli of Brazil, was an All-Pac-10 player at USC in the early 1990s (he can also play middle blocker), and 6-2 first-year freshman Jackson Wedbush of Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach (Calif.), a 2016 All-CIF Division I first team selection. MIDDLE BLOCKERS In addition to Andy Benesh (see above), angling for a starting job at middle blocker are: 6-6 junior Connor Inlow, who hit.393 with 14 kills in 8 matches (with 4 starts) in 2016, 6-8 sophomore Ryan Moss, who had 6 starts at outside hitter among his 21 match appearances last spring (he had 57 kills, 36 digs and 19 blocks), 6-8 Tyler Resnick, who redshirted last year as a freshman, 6-8 first-year freshman Matt Hassel of Bay Shore (N.Y.) School, who was a member of the 2015 U.S. Boys Youth Continental Team, and 6-7 firstyear freshman Jackson Barrett of Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough (Calif.), who didn t join the squad until after 2016 fall practice. LIBEROS The starting libero duty belongs to 5-10 sophomore Matt Douglas, who had 22 digs in 11 matches last season and then spent the summer helping the U.S. Junior National Team win a gold medal at the 2016 NORCECA U21 Continental Championship. Also available at libero are 5-9 senior Vinnie Rios, who had 29 digs while appearing in 20 matches in his Trojan career entering 2017 (including 11 digs in 14 matches in 2016), and 5-8 first-year freshman Michael Chang of Beckman High in Irvine (Calif.), a 2016 All-CIF Division I first team pick. NYGAARD Jeff Nygaard, a 3-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a 2-time collegiate MVP while playing on a pair of NCAA championship teams at UCLA, was named the head coach of the USC men s volleyball team prior to the 2016 season, after serving the previous 5 seasons as a Trojan assistant. His 2016 debut team went 7-19 overall (5-17 in the MPSF for 11th place), but did post 3 victories over Top 15-ranked teams. Nygaard, 44, coached USC s middle blockers in his 5 seasons (2011-15) as Bill Ferguson s lead assistant. During that span, Troy played in a pair of NCAA Final Fours, won 2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season titles and posted an 88-48 (64.7%) overall mark. In the summer of 2015, Nygaard was the head coach of the U.S. Men s National Team that competed in the Pan American Cup in Reno. ASSISTANTS Former U.S. Men s National Team assistant and Japan head coach Gary Sato and 2015 AVCA Division III Coach of the Year Todd Hollenbeck from UC Santa Cruz joined Jeff Nygaard s staff in 2016. Volunteer assistant coach Brian Schirripa, who was on UCLA s 2006 NCAA championship team, came aboard in 2017, as did student assistant coach Josh Kirchner, a former USC starting opposite hitter and middle blocker (2013-16). 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF USC S FIRST NCAA TITLE The 2017 season marks the 40th anniversary of USC s first NCAA title in men s volleyball in 1977. That squad was honored at this year s Feb. 4 home match against UC San Diego. In 1977 (the year that USC first awarded volleyball scholarships), head coach Ernie Hix s Trojans went 18-1 with a team that featured future Olympians Celso Kalache (Brazil) and Dusty Dvorak (USA) and future USC head coach Bob Yoder. After beating Rutgers Newark in the NCAA semifinal, USC defeated Ohio State in 4 sets (15-11, 9-15, 15-10, 15-12) to win its first NCAA Championship. Kalache and Yoder were All-American first team picks, while Dvorak and Steve Obradovich were All-American second teamers. Kalache was the NCAA All-Tournament team MVP. YODER FROM FIRST FAMILY OF USC VB Lucas Yoder is among 6 Yoders to have played volleyball at USC and one of 8 Yoders to have played collegiately: his uncle, Bob, was a 1977 All-American first teamer who led the Trojans to the NCAA title that season and then as USC s head coach for 8 seasons (1982-89) guided Troy to the 1988 NCAA championship; his late father, Dave, was a 1987 All-American second teamer who led USC to 3 NCAA Final appearances; his cousin, Erin, was a defensive specialist on the USC women s team (2009-12, including on a pair of NCAA Final Four teams); his cousin, Cory, was a 2011 All-American at UC Irvine and was a member of the Anteaters 2009 NCAA champions; his cousin, Jack, was a setter at USC (2015-16); another cousin, Paul (Jack s brother), was a libero at USC (2011-14) and now is the online radio analyst for USC men s volleyball broadcasts; and his sister, Molly, was a libero at UC Irvine (2011-14). 3

RELATIVELY SPEAKING Woody Cook s father, Scott Cook, played volleyball at USC in 1986, helping the Trojans to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship after posting a 27-2 overall record and a 20-0 mark while winning the conference, while his uncle is Chris Lewis, a 3-time (1976-78) All-American tennis player at USC who won the 1977 NCAA doubles crown (with Bruce Manson) and was a member of Troy s 1976 NCAA championship squad...matt Douglas late grandfather, Jon Douglas, was a 2-sport star at Stanford, lettering at quarterback in 1956 to 1957 (he was the starter in 1957) and was the school s first All-American tennis player in 1957 and 1958 (he was the NCAA singles and doubles runner-up in 1958), then was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 from 1960 to 1962 and played on the 1958, 1961 and 1962 U.S. Davis Cup teams (he is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame)... Matt Faraimo is related to Salo Faraimo, who played linebacker at USC in 2003, and Preston Faraimo, who played football at Hawaii (2000-01)... Gianluca Grasso s father, Mauro, and mother, Rejane, played volleyball on Brazil s national teams (his father coaches professionally), while his brother, Marco, was a setter at Pacific (2013-14) and Ohio State (2015-16), including on the Buckeyes 2016 NCAA champions, and his sister, Carol, played volleyball at Salt Lake Community College (2013-14) and Cal State Bakersfield (2015-16) and also beach volleyball at Cal State Bakersfield (2015)...Josh Kirchner s sister, Stephanie, was a middle hitter at Wisconsin-Platteville (2010-13)...Gert Lisha s parents, Besnik and Valbona, played professional volleyball in Albania (his father, Besnik, was on the Albanian national team), while his late grandfather was Albanian author Mentor Quku...Lucas Lossone s mother, Cica Baccelli of Brazil, was an outside hitter at USC in 1991 and 1992, earning All-American second team and All-Pac-10 first team honors in 1992...Blake Markland s grandfather, Francis, has been a faculty member at the USC School of Medicine for more than 40 years...michael Mullahey s grandfather, Edward Mullahey, was a swimmer at Iowa (1952-54)...Assistant coach Gary Sato s son, Andrew, is a senior libero at Long Beach State, and his daughter, Katie, is a junior libero at Cal State Northridge, while his brother, Eric, won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. men in 1988 and a bronze in 1992 (Gary was an assistant with those teams), his sister, Liane, won an Olympic bronze medal with the U.S. women in 1992 and also played on the 1988 Olympic team and his brothers, Scott (San Diego State), and Glenn, (Loyola Marymount), both played college volleyball and Glenn also was an assistant coach at USC from 1990 to 1996 (the Trojans won the 1990 NCAA title)...volunteer assistant coach Brian Schirripa s brother, Brent, played volleyball at Pepperdine (2006-10), including on the 2008 NCAA runners-up, while Brent s twin, Nick, played at Santa Monica College...Aaron Strange s sister, Alexa, was a 2-time beach volleyball All- American first teamer on USC s 2015 and 2016 national championship teams (the 2016 squad won the first-ever NCAA titlein the sport); she previously played indoors at Nebraska. ACADEMICS In 2016, the USC men s volleyball team recorded an all-time program high NCAA Graduation Success Rate, which measures how many student-athletes in the classes of 2006 through 2009 graduated within 6 years of their enrollment. The Trojan volleyballers 92% GSR was the third consecutive year that the program s score showed an increase. The USC athletic department s overall GSR of 83% marked the third straight year that it was at an all-time high. Six Trojans have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above: Connor Inlow (3.50, communication), Andy Benesh (3.40, communication), Michael Mullahey (3.15), Vinnie Rios (3.08, global medicine), Aaron Strange (3.00) and Michael Chang (business administration). Mullahey (business administration) and Christopher Orenic (environmental studies) received their bachelor s degrees in the summer of 2016 and are working on master s degrees (Mullahey in entrepreneurship and Orenic in communication management). VOLLEYBALL SCHOOL In its history, the USC men s volleyball program claims 4 NCAA titles (1977-80-88-90) among its 14 NCAA Final Four appearances, as well as 2 USVBA titles (1949-50). It has produced 20 Olympians, 34 All-American first teamers and seven College Players of the Year. Besides the crowns that USC s men have won, the Women of Troy have captured 6 national volleyball titles. USC s women won the AIAW trophy in 1976, 1977 and 1980, and the NCAA crown in 1981 before current coach Mick Haley s 2002 and 2003 Women of Troy squads captured NCAA titles (the 2010 and 2011 teams made it to the NCAA Final Four). Also, USC s 2-time defending national champion women s beach volleyball program won titles in 2015 (AVCA) and 2016 (first-ever NCAA beach crown). SCIVBHOF Former USC men s volleyball greats Dusty Dvorak, Steve Timmons and Bryan Ivie were named to the inaugural 2017 class of the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame. They are part of a 25-member inaugural SCIVBHOF class that also includes former Women of Troy greats Debbie Green and Paula Weishoff. All five Trojans won national team titles at USC and medals in the Olympics. Timmons and Dvorak were starters on the first USA Olympic Gold Medal team in 1984 in Los Angeles and also key members of USC s second NCAA title team in 1980 that beat UCLA in the finals. Timmons was also a starter on the 1988 USA Gold Medal team from Seoul. Ivie won a bronze medal in Barcelona in 1992 after leading USC to NCAA titles in 1988 and 1990. 2017 SIGNEES Four high school standouts 6-10 middle blocker Sam Lewis of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High, 6-7 middle blocker Mitch Haly of Corona del Mar (Calif.) High, 5-10 libero Cole Paxson of Laguna Beach (Calif.) High and 6-6 outside hitter Noah Franklin of Huntington Beach (Calif.) High signed letters of intent with the USC men s volleyball program and will join the Trojan program in the fall of 2017. Lewis was the 2016 Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team Player of the Year as a junior. He then helped the USA Volleyball Boys Youth National Team win a silver medal at the 2016 NORCECA U19 Continental Championship in Havana, Cuba, and qualify for the 2017 FIVB Boys U19 World Championship in Bahrain. He was a member of the Team Rockstar Volleyball Club that won a 17 Open bronze medal at the 2016 Junior Olympics and the High Line Volleyball Club that won a 16 Club bronze at the 2014 Junior Olympics. At 6-10, he will be tied for the second tallest Trojan volleyball player ever (with Szilard Kovacs and Chris McKniff, behind 6-11 Phil Small). His brother, Cameron Jones, played basketball at Northern Arizona (2008-11) and then professionally in the NBA Development League (Fort Wayne and Santa Cruz) and in Russia, Israel and Greece, while his cousin, Landry Fields, played basketball at Stanford (2007-10) and then with the New York Knicks (2011-12) and Toronto Raptors (2013-15). Haly made the 2016 Orange County Register All-Orange County honorable mention, Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team and All- Pacific League first team as a junior while getting 186 kills and 54 blocks. As a member of the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club, he won an 18 Open gold medal at the 2016 Junior Olympics after getting a 17 Club silver in the 2015 Junior Olympics. He helped SCVA win a bronze at the 2016 USA Volleyball High Performance Championship. He also played football (getting 33 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles and 2 deflections as a 2016 linebacker) and basketball at Corona del Mar. His brother, Spencer, played volleyball at Stanford (2012-15). Paxson earned 2016 All-CIF Division 2 first team and Orange County Register All-Orange County honorable mention as a junior libero and setter while getting 332 digs, 155 assists, 10 kills, 9 aces and 9 blocks. As a 2015 sophomore, he made Orange County Register All-Orange County second team and All-Orange Coast League second team while recording 282 digs, 54 assists and 27 aces. Laguna Beach won the 2014 and 2015 CIF Southern California Regional Division III championships. He helped the USA Volleyball Boys Youth National Team win a silver medal at the 2016 NORCECA U19 Continental Championship in Havana, Cuba, and qualify for the 2017 FIVB Boys U19 World Championship in Bahrain. At the Junior Olympics, he was on Balboa Bay Volleyball Club teams that won a 17 Open gold medal in 2016, a 16 Open silver in 2015 (he made the All-Tournament team) and a 15 Open gold in 2014. Franklin was a 2016 All-Sunset League second team pick as a junior at Huntington Beach (Calif.) High. He was a member of the Team Rockstar Volleyball Club that won a 17 Open bronze medal at the 2016 Junior Olympics. He helped the SCVA team win a bronze at the 2016 USA Volleyball High Performance Championship. He also was on the basketball team at Huntington Beach and he played beach volleyball. His father, Paul, is the director of the videoboards at USC football, basketball and volleyball events. 4

Jon Rivera -- #1 Att. 14...(vs. CS Northridge, 1/14) Kills: 8... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) Pct.:.385... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) Aces: 1... (twice) Digs: 3... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) BA: 2... (3 times) TB: 2... (3 times) Michael Chang -- #4 Matt Douglas -- #5 Att. 1... (twice) Kills: 1^...(vs. CS Northridge, 1/14) Ast.: 6... (twice) Digs: 18^... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Vinnie Rios -- #6 Digs: 9^... (vs. Hawaii, 3/3) Gert Lisha -- #7 Att. 5... (twice) Kills: 3... (vs. Ohio State, 1/6) Ast.: 60... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Aces: 3...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Digs: 12^... (vs. UC San Diego, 2/4) BS: 2...(vs. Lewis, 3/9) BA: 3... (4 times) TB: 4... (twice) Michael Mullahey -- #8 Gianluca Grasso -- #9 Att. 48...(vs. UC Irvine, 2/3) Kills: 24^...(vs. UC Irvine, 2/3) Pct.:.550... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) Ast.: 1... (5 times) Aces: 2... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) Digs: 10^... (3 times) BA: 6... (vs. UC San Diego, 2/4) TB: 6^... (vs. UC San Diego, 2/4) Woody Cook -- #10 Att. 35... (vs. UCLA, 1/20) Kills: 15^... (vs. Harvard, 3/14) Pct.:.414... (vs. Harvard, 3/14) Ast.: 2...(vs. Lewis, 3/9) Aces: 1... (3 times) Digs: 11... (vs. Pepperdine, 1/28) BS: 1...(vs. Stanford, 2/16) BA: 2... (3 times) TB: 3^...(vs. Stanford, 2/16) SEASON HIGHS Matt Faraimo -- #11 Att. 6... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Kills: 3^... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Ast.: 42... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Digs: 6^... (twice) BA: 2... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) TB: 2^... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Sean Morrissey -- #12 Jackson Barrett -- #13 Christopher Orenic -- #14 Att. 18... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Kills: 6... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Pct.:.167... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Ast.: 2... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Aces: 1... (5 times) Digs: 3... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) BS: 1... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) BA: 2... (twice) TB: 3... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Tyler Resnick -- #16 Aaron Strange -- #17 Att. 32... (twice) Kills: 14^... (vs. UC Santa Barbara, 1/18) Pct.:.667...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Ast.: 1... (5 times) Aces: 1... (5 times) Digs: 17^... (vs. UCLA, 1/20) BS: 1... (5 times) BA: 4...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) TB: 4^... (twice) Matt Hassel -- #18 Connor Inlow -- #19 Att. 15... (twice) Kills: 9^... (twice) Pct.:.600...(vs. Long Beach State, 1/11) Ast.: 2...(vs. UC Irvine, 2/3) Aces: 1... (vs. UC Santa Barbara, 1/18) Digs: 5^...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) BS: 2...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) BA: 4...(vs. Long Beach State, 1/11) TB: 5^...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Blake Markland -- #20 Att. 25...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Kills: 10^...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Pct.:.240...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Ast.: 1... (3 times) Aces: 3...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) Digs: 5^...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) BA: 2... (twice) TB: 2^... (twice) Jackson Wedbush -- #21 Lucas Lossone -- #22 Att. 32... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Kills: 16^... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Pct.:.400... (vs. Harvard, 3/14) Ast.: 1... (twice) Aces: 1... (5 times) Digs: 7^...(vs. BYU, 2/10) BS: 1... (vs. Hawaii, 3/2) BA: 6... (vs. Cal State Northridge, 2/22) TB: 6^... (vs. Cal State Northridge, 2/22) Andy Benesh -- #23 Att. 26... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Kills: 14... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Pct.:.615... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) Ast.: 2... (5 times)) Aces: 4...(vs. Lewis, 3/9) Digs: 5...(vs. Long Beach State, 1/11) BS: 3... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) BA: 10... (vs. Cal State Northridge, 2/22) TB: 10... (vs. Cal State Northridge, 2/22) Ryan Moss -- #24 Att. 14... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Kills: 7...(vs. BYU, 2/10) Pct.:.500... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) Ast.: 1... (3 times) Aces: 3... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Digs: 4... (vs. Hawaii, 3/2) BS: 2...(vs. Stanford, 2/16) BA: 4... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) TB: 5^... (twice) Lucas Yoder -- #25 Att. 53...(vs. Penn State, 1/7) Kills: 33...(vs. Penn State, 1/7) Pct.:.552...(vs. CS Northridge, 1/14) Ast.: 2... (twice) Aces: 2... (4 times) Digs: 12^... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) BS: 1... (4 times) BA: 5... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) TB: 5^... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) ^USC Career HIgh (listed for kills, digs, total blocks only) (All Individual Hitting PCT: minimum 10 attempts) 5

SEASON HIGHS CAREER HIGHS USC Individual HIghs Att. 53... (Lucas Yoder, vs. Penn State, 1/7) Kills: 33... (Lucas Yoder, vs. Penn State, 1/7) Pct.:.667... (Aaron Strange, vs. Concordia, 1/3) Ast.: 60...(Gert Lisha, vs. Pepperdine, 2/18)) Aces: 4... (Andy Benesh, vs. Lewis, 3/9) Digs: 18...(Matt Douglas, vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) BS: 3... (Andy Benesh, vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) BA: 10...(Andy Benesh, vs. CS Northridge, 2/22) TB: 10...(Andy Benesh, vs. CS Northridge, 2/22) USC Team HIghs Att. 141... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Kills: 67... (vs. Harvard, 3/14) Pct.:.453... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) Ast.: 64...(vs. UC Irvine, 2/3) 64... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Aces: 8... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) Digs: 51... (vs. Pepperdine, 2/18) BS: 5...(vs. Concordia, 1/3) 5... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) BA: 22... (vs. Cal State Northridge, 2/22) TB: 25... (vs. Sacred Heart, 3/19) USC Team Lows Att. 64... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) Kills: 22... (vs. Hawaii, 3/3) Pct.:.000... (vs. Hawaii, 3/3) Ast.: 20... (vs. Hawaii, 3/3) Aces: 1...(vs. CS Northridge, 1/14) 1...(vs. UC Irvine, 2/3) 1...(vs. BYU, 2/10) 1... (vs. Long Beach State, 2/24) 1... (vs. Hawaii, 3/3) Digs: 15... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) BS: 0...(vs. CS Northridge, 1/14) 0... (vs. UC Santa Barbara, 1/18) 0... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) 0...(vs. BYU, 2/10) 0... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) BA: 2... (vs. Long Beach State, 2/24) TB: 4... (vs. Stanford, 1/26) 4... (vs. Long Beach State, 2/24) 4... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) Opponent Team HIghs Att. 153... (Sacred Heart, 3/19) Kills: 75... (Penn State, 1/7) Pct.:.557... (CS Northridge, 1/14) Ast.: 73... (Penn State, 1/7) Aces: 7...(Ohio State, 1/6) 7... (Pepperdine, 1/28) 7... (Cal State Northridge, 2/22) Digs: 50...(UCLA, 1/20) BS: 5...(Ohio State, 1/6) BA: 45...(Pepperdine, 2/18) TB: 46...(Pepperdine, 2/18) Opponent Team Lows Att. 63...(Long Beach State, 2/24) Kills: 30...(Stanford, 1/26) Pct.:.089...(Stanford, 2/16) Ast.: 28...(Stanford, 1/26) Aces: 1...(Hawaii, 3/2) 1... (George Mason, 3/13) Digs: 6... (vs. George Mason, 3/13) BS: 0...(Long Beach State, 1/11) 0...(UCLA, 1/20) 0...(Stanford, 1/26) 0... (BYU, 2/10) 0... (Lewis, 3/9) 0... (Sacred Heart, 3/19) BA: 2...(Hawaii, 3/2) TB: 5...(Hawaii, 3/2) Opponent Individual HIghs Att. 50...(Tanner Syfestad, UC San Diego, 2/4) Kills: 26...(Tanner Syfestad, UC San Diego, 2/4) Pct.:.692...(Dimitar Kalchev, CS Northridge, 1/14) Ast.: 62...(Luke Braswell, Penn State, 1/7) Aces: 6...(Dimitar Kalchev, CS Northridge, 2/22) Digs: 16...(Joshua Ayzenberg, Sacred Heart, 3/19) BS: 2...(Xavier Jimenez, UC San Diego, 2/4) BA: 11...(Clay Carr, Pepperdine, 2/18) TB: 11...(Clay Carr, Pepperdine, 2/18) Jon Rivera -- #1 Kills: 23... vs. Pepperdine, 2016 Digs: 8... vs. UC San Diego, 2016 TB: 5...vs. UCLA, 2015 Michael Chang -- #4 Matt Douglas -- #5 Kills: 1...vs. CS Northridge, 2017 Digs: 18...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 Vinnie Rios -- #6 Digs: 9...vs. Hawaii, 2017 Gert Lisha -- #7* Kills: 4... vs. UC Irvine, 2016 Digs: 12...vs. UC San Diego, 2017 TB: 5... vs. UC San Diego, 2016 *Does not include statistics while at Lewis Michael Mullahey -- #8 Kills: 3... vs. UC Irvine, 2014 Digs: 12... vs. UC Irvine, 2014 TB: 3... vs. UC San Diego, 2014 Gianluca Grasso -- #9 Kills: 24...vs. UC Irvine, 2017 Digs: 10... vs. Lewis, 2017 10... vs. Harvard, 2017 10...vs. Sacred Heart, 2017 TB: 6...vs. UC San Diego, 2017 Woody Cook -- #10 Kills: 15... vs. Harvard, 2017 Digs: 11...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 TB: 3... vs. Stanford, 2017 Matt Faraimo -- #11 Kills: 3...vs. Sacred Heart, 2017 Digs: 6...vs. Hawaii, 2017 6...vs. Sacred Heart, 2017 TB: 2...vs. Sacred Heart, 2017 Sean Morrissey -- #12 Jackson Barrett -- #13 Christopher Orenic -- #14 Kills: 24... vs. Hawaii, 2015 Digs: 10... vs. UC Irvine, 2015 TB: 7... vs. Grand Canyon, 2015 Tyler Resnick -- #16 Aaron Strange -- #17 Kills: 14...vs. UC Santa Barbara, 2017 Digs: 17... vs. UCLA, 2017 TB: 4... vs. Concordia, 2017 4... vs. UCLA, 2017 Matt Hassel -- #18 Connor Inlow -- #19 Kills: 9...vs. Long Beach State, 2017 9...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 Digs: 5... vs. Concordia, 2017 TB: 5... vs. Concordia, 2017 Blake Markland -- #20 Kills: 10... vs. Concordia, 2017 Digs: 5... vs. Concordia, 2017 TB: 2... vs. Concordia, 2017 2... vs. Penn State, 2017 Jackson Wedbush -- #21 Lucas Lossone -- #22 Kills: 16...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 Digs: 7...vs. BYU, 2017 TB: 6... vs. Cal State Northridge, 2017 Andy Benesh -- #23 Kills: 16... vs. UC Santa Barbara, 2015 Digs: 6...vs. Penn State, 2016 Blocks: 10... vs. UC Santa Barbara, 2014 10... vs. Cal State Northridge, 2017 Ryan Moss -- #24 Kills: 10...vs. Cal State Northridge, 2016 Digs: 10...vs. Cal State Northridge, 2016 TB: 5...vs. Cal Baptist, 2016 5... vs. Stanford, 2017 5...vs. Sacred Heart, 2017 Lucas Yoder -- #25 Kills: 23... vs. BYU, 2014 Digs: 12...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 TB: 5...vs. Pepperdine, 2017 6

2017 STARTERS S MB MB OH OH OPP L CONC Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Markland Strange Douglas OSU Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Markland Strange Douglas PSU Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Markland Strange Douglas LBSU Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Markland Strange Douglas CSUN Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Markland Rivera Douglas UCSB Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Cook Strange Douglas UCLA Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Cook Strange Douglas STAN Lisha Benesh Inlow Orenic Cook Strange Douglas PEPP Lisha Benesh Inlow Grasso Cook Strange Douglas UCI Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Grasso Strange Douglas UCSD Lisha Benesh Inlow Yoder Grasso Strange Douglas BYU Lisha Benesh Moss Yoder Cook Lossone Douglas STAN Lisha Benesh Moss Yoder Cook Lossone Douglas PEPP Lisha Benesh Moss Yoder Cook Lossone Douglas CSUN Lisha Benesh Moss Yoder Cook Lossone Douglas LBSU Lisha Benesh Moss Markland Cook Lossone Douglas HAW Lisha Benesh Moss Yoder Grasso Lossone Douglas HAW Faraimo Inlow Moss Cook Grasso Strange Rios LEW Lisha Benesh Inlow Cook Grasso Lossone Douglas GM Lisha Benesh Inlow Cook Grasso Lossone Douglas HARV Lisha Benesh Inlow Cook Grasso Lossone Douglas SH Faraimo Benesh Inlow Cook Grasso Lossone Douglas CONC UCLA UCSB CBU CBU USC IN THE 2017 AVCA/OFF THE BLOCK/ FLOVOLLEYBALL POLLS DATE Pre-season Jan. 9 Jan. 16 Jan. 23 Jan. 30 Feb. 6 Feb. 13 Feb. 20 Feb. 27 March 6 March 13 March 20 AVCA/OTB/FV NR/NA/NA NR/NR/10 NR/NR/NR NR/NR/NR NR/NR/NR NR/NR/NR NR/NR/NR 14/NR/10 14/NR/10 14/NR/NA 12/9/NR 12/9/NR USC 2017 MPSF/FLOVOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK DATE Jan. 16 PLAYER Lucas Yoder (MPSF/FV) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Andy Benesh Matt Faraimo Gianluca Grasso Matt Hassel Connor Inlow Josh Kirchner Gert Lisha Jeffrey Liu Lucas Lossone Sean Morrissey BEN-ish fuh-ray-moe jhee-on-lew-ka GRAW-so HAS-sul IN-loe KEERK-nur GURT LEE-shuh LOO luh-sown MORE-us-see Michael Mullahey Lisa Noceti-DeWit Jeff Nygaard Christopher Orenic Tyler Resnick Vinnie Rios Jon Rivera Gary Sato Brian Schirripa Lucas Yoder muh-lay-hee no-set-ee duh-wit NIE-gard oe-ren-ick REZ-nik REE-osz ruh-ver-uh SAW-toe shuh-rip-uh YOE-dur 7

#1 (1/4)--USC 3, at Concordia 1 Unranked USC, behind 13 kills from first-year freshman opposite hitter Aaron Strange, opened its 2017 season with a 30-28, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18 road win over Concordia in a non-conference match in Irvine on Jan. 3. USC won its season opener for the 29th time in the program s 48- year history. Strange hit.667 (only 1 hitting error among 18 swings) and added 4 blocks. Blake Markland, a sophomore outside hitter making his first career start, added 10 kills, 5 digs and 3 aces, Lucas Yoder had 9 kills and 5 digs, Andy Benesh had a match best 6 blocks and Gert Lisha had 3 aces. USC hit.348 to Concordia s.162 and had more blocks (14.0 to 7.0) and aces (7 to 3). In the first set, USC fought back from a 22-19 deficit to catch the Eagles at 23-23 and then went up 27-26 before scoring the set s final 2 points while hitting.520. The Trojans trailed for most of the second set, falling behind 20-16 before knotting the score at 22-22 but Concordia scored consecutive points to end the set (the Eagles hit.391). USC jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the third set and was never threatened, hitting.391. It was more of the same in the final set, as USC opened up a 7-2 margin and held off the Eagles. #2 (1/6)--at #1 Ohio State 3, USC 1 Top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Ohio State came back to defeat unranked USC, 22-25, 27-25, 25-18, 25-16, on Jan. 6 on the first day of the AVCA Showcase -- Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge on the Buckeyes home floor in Columbus, Ohio. Lucas Yoder led USC with match highs of 15 kills, 8 digs and 2 aces, while Aaron Strange and Blake Markland each added 6 kills, Andy Benesh had a matchleading 7 blocks and Matt Douglas had 8 digs. Yoder was playing on the home court where his uncle, former USC All- American Bob Yoder, served as Ohio State s head coach in 1980 and 1981 before returning to his alma mater as the Trojan head coach from 1982 to 1989. Ohio State outhit the Trojans,.250 to.081, and had more blocks (13.0 to 9.5) and aces (7 to 4). USC went on a 4-0 run in the first set to build an 8-6 edge, but Ohio State caught up at 15-15, then soon after the Trojans used a 3-0 run to go up 22-19 and held on for the set despite hitting just.077. Troy trailed 8-3 in the second set, but crept back to tie the set at 20-20 and then led 22-21 before the Buckeyes regrouped and pulled out the extended set. USC held a 10-8 lead in the third set before Ohio State scored 7 of the next 9 points to forge a 15-12 margin and the Trojans could not catch up. The fourth set seesawed early until Ohio State went up 13-11, a lead it continued to expand while hitting.368 in the set. #3 (1/7)--vs. #13 Penn State 3, USC 2 Despite a career-best 33 kills from Lucas Yoder, unranked USC fell in 5 sets to No. 13 Penn State, 30-32, 25-14, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11, on the second day of the AVCA Showcase Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 7. Yoder s 33 kills were 3 shy of Brook Billings USC rally scoring era match record of 36. Yoder hit..509 overall and added 9 digs. Teammate Aaron Strange had 12 kills and 6 digs, Andy Benesh had 11 kills while hitting.588 and Matt Douglas had 6 digs. Penn State outhit USC,.371 to.308, and the Nittany Lions had more digs (40-31), blocks (14.0-9.0) and aces (5-2). USC trailed 9-5 in the first set before scoring 7 of the next 9 points to go up 12-11 and soon after the Trojans built a 14-12 lead, but Penn State tied it at 19-19 and the score remained close until PSU served for the set at 25-24 and then USC recovered to serve 6 set points before a Strange kill and a Nittany Lion hitting error ended it as both teams hit.405. Penn State never trailed in the second set while hitting at a.611 clip and going up 17-6 mid-set. USC went on a 5-0 run in the third set to built a 16-12 lead and PSU never could recover. In the fourth set, USC was up 12-8 before Penn State started to come back, tying the score at 13-13 and then going up 23-21, all the lead it needed to close out the set. After getting the fifth set s opening point, the Trojans never led again, falling behind 8-3 at the turn and unable to catch up the rest of the way. #4 (1/11)--at USC 3, #3 Long Beach State 1 Unranked USC, behind Lucas Yoder s 28 kills, upset No. 3 Long Beach State, 25-19, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, on Jan. 11 in USC s Galen Center in both teams opening MPSF match of 2017. Yoder hit at a.404 clip and added 6 digs. Teammate Andy Benesh had 12 kills while hitting.526 and also had 5 digs and 4 blocks, Connor Inlow had a career-high 9 kills (hitting.600) along with 4 blocks, Matt Douglas had a match-best 10 digs and Aaron Strange had 5 kills and 9 digs. USC hit.358 to LBSU s.265 and the Trojans had more digs, 41-25. USC jumped out to a quick 4-2 lead in the opening set, then steadily pulled away while hitting a blistering.739 (just 1 hitting error in 23 swings) and getting MATCH RECAPS 8 digs. In the second set, the Trojans built another early lead, 8-3, and Long Beach State couldn t catch up as USC hit.385 and added 10 more digs. The 49ers went on a 7-0 run to forge a 14-6 lead in the third set and held off the fast-closing Trojans (LBSU hit.367 and had 3.5 blocks in the set). Long Beach State scored the first 4 points of the fourth set and USC countered by scoring the next 4, then the match was tight until the Trojans went on a late 3-0 run to go up 24-21 and close out the match. #5 (1/11)--#13 Cal State Northridge 3, at USC 0 No. 13 Cal State Northridge swept unranked USC, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18, in an MPSF match on Jan. 14 in USC s Galen Center. Lucas Yoder led USC with a match-high 19 kills while hitting.552 and Matt Douglas had 6 digs. CSUN hit.557 to USC s.468 and the Matadors served 4 aces and had 6.0 blocks. In the first set, CSUN scored 5 of 6 points to open a 17-12 edge and USC couldn t catch up as the Matadors hit.560. CSUN went on a late 4-0 run in the second set to build a 21-19 lead that it didn t relinquish as it hit.522. The Matadors used another 4-0 run in the final set to go up 15-11 and they were never threatened while CSUN hitting.591. #6 (1/18)--at #12 UC Santa Barbara 3, USC 2 No. 12 UC Santa Barbara outlasted unranked USC in 5 sets, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-10, in an MPSF match on Jan. 18 in Santa Barbara. Lucas Yoder led USC with 17 kills, while Aaron Strange added 14 kills and 8 digs, Andy Benesh had 11 kills (hitting.526) and 6 blocks and Matt Douglas had 7 digs. UCSB outhit USC,.336 to.299 and the Gauchos had more blocks, 10.5 to 7.0. USC fell behind quickly in the first set, getting down 3-1, and could never catch up. The second set was tied at 11-11 when the Trojans scored 5 of the next 6 points to build a 16-12 lead that was never threatened (USC hit.444 in the set). UCSB used a 4-0 run early in the third set to go up 6-2 and steadily pulled away while hitting.462. A 3-0 spurt by USC in the fourth set gave the Trojans a 13-10 lead and they held off the Gauchos. UCSB scored the first 3 points of the final set, a lead that USC could never overcome as the Gauchos hit.412. #7 (1/20)--at #2 UCLA 3, USC 1 No. 2 UCLA posted a 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22 win over unranked USC in an MPSF match on Jan. 20 in Pauley Pavilion. Lucas Yoder had 15 kills for USC, while Woody Cook added 13 kills and 7 digs and Aaron Strange had 11 kills, 4 blocks and a match-leading 17 digs. UCLA hit.309 in the match to USC s.208 and the Bruins had more blocks (13.0 to 7.0). In the first set, UCLA scored backto-back points move out to an 11-9 lead and the Bruins steadily pulled away while hitting.524. USC built an 11-6 lead in the second set but UCLA caught up at 18-18 and went up 21-19 before the Trojans regained the momentum with a 3-point run to go up 23-22 before a Yoder kill and a Bruin hitting error finished out the set despite the Bruins 4.5 blocks and 15 digs. UCLA scored the third set s first 6 points and USC couldn t catch up. The Bruins used a 4-0 run to go up 18-15 in the final set, a margin USC was unable to overcome. #8 (1/26)--at #8 Stanford 3, USC 0 No. 8 Stanford swept unranked USC, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20, in an MPSF match on Jan. 26 in Palo Alto. The Trojans were without their top player, Lucas Yoder, who was out with a sprained ankle suffered in practice earlier that week. But USC did get a contribution from their newest player, junior college transfer Gianluca Grasso of Brazil, who joined the team earlier that week. He had 6 digs, 2 aces and 2 kills off the bench. Three Trojans each had 8 kills: Andy Benesh while hitting.615, Jon Rivera (hitting.385) off the bench and Woody Cook (along with 4 digs). Stanford hit.304 and had 11.0 blocks, while USC hit just.070 and had only 2.0 blocks. The Trojans had 27 attack errors and 14 serving errors. Stanford went on a 6-point binge to open a 16-10 lead in the first set and was never threatened. In the second set, the Cardinal scored 4 of 5 early points to go up 7-4 and built the lead to 17-11 before USC clawed back to within 18-16, the closest Troy would get. Stanford got out to a quick 4-1 lead in the final set and the Trojans were never able to catch up. #9 (1/28)--at #9 Pepperdine 3, USC 2 No. 9 Pepperdine outlasted unranked USC in 5 sets, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 15-11 in an MPSF match on Jan. 28 in Malibu. Gianluca Grasso, in just his second match after transferring mid-season to USC, had 18 kills and 8 digs, while teammate Andy Benesh added 12 kills and hit.455, Woody Cook had 11 kills and 11 digs, Connor Inlow had 9 kills (hitting.467), Aaron Strange had 9 kills and 6 digs and Matt Douglas had 7 digs. For the second straight match, the Trojans were without their top player, Lucas Yoder, who was out with a sprained ankle suffered in practice this week. Pepperdine outhit (.301 to.254) and outblocked (10.5 to 4.5) USC, but Troy had more digs (43 to 33). USC went on a 5-0 run in the first set to go up 16-11 and was never threatened. The Trojans fought back from an early 4-point deficit in the second set to tie it at 10-10, but Pepperdine then went on a late 5-point run to build a comfortable 24-20 edge as the Waves hit.400. USC scored 3 consecutive points to build an 8-5 lead in the third set, then held off several runs by the Waves while hitting.395. Pepperdine scored 5 unanswered points to forge a 12-7 margin in the fourth set and steadily pulled away by hitting.733. The Waves scored 3 straight points to move out to an 8-5 lead in the final set and held off USC to capture the set while hitting.500. #10 (2/3)--USC 3, at #6 UC Irvine 1 Lucas Yoder and Gianluca Grasso combined for 53 kills to help unranked USC snap a 5-match losing streak and upset No. 7 UC Irvine, 25-23, 40-42, 25-23, 25-23, in an MPSF match on Feb. 3 in Irvine. The points in the second set were both the most ever scored by USC and surrendered by the Trojans in a set in program history dating to 1970. It also was the most total points in any MPSF set since 2008, when Pepperdine beat Long Beach State, 43-41, in the third set of a conference tournament semifinal match. The Trojans, playing the last contest of its 5-match MPSF road trip, also ended a 4-match losing skid to the Anteaters. Yoder, who missed the past 2 matches with an ankle sprain, had a match-high 29 kills while hitting.360 and he added 8 digs. Grasso, in just his third match after transferring midseason to USC from a junior college, had 24 kills (hitting.354), 6 digs and 3 blocks. Andy Benesh had a match-best 6 blocks, Matt Douglas had 10 digs and Gert Lisha had 9 digs. USC hit.285 in the match to UCI s.259 and the Trojans had more digs (39-33) and blocks (9.0 to 6.0). But the Anteaters served 6 aces to USC s 1. In the first set, USC held a 13-9 mid-set lead and then a late 23-21 edge, but UCI then scored 2 in a row before USC got the final 2 points. USC battled from an early 3-point deficit in the second set by scoring 9 out of 10 points to build an 18-10 lead before the Anteaters closed fast, overcoming a 23-20 Trojan margin before sending the set into extra time and staving off 13 set points before scoring the last 2. USC held a quick 5-1 lead in the third set before UCI tied it at 8-8, then the set seesawed before USC scored back-to-back points to go up 24-22, all the margin it needed while hitting.476. USC used a 3-0 run to jump out to a quick 6-3 lead in the fourth set and then pulled away to a 21-13 edge before UCI once again fought back, scoring 5 straight points to tie it at 23-23 before the Trojans tallied the match s final 2 points (USC hit.440 in the set). #11 (2/4)--UC San Diego 3, at USC 1 Unranked UC San Diego ended its 49-match conference losing streak by beating unranked USC on the road, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23, in an MPSF match on Feb. 4 at USC s Galen Center. Before the match, USC s 1977 team was honored on its 40 th anniversary of winning the program s first NCAA championship. Lucas Yoder led USC with 20 kills and he added 6 digs. Gianluca Grasso had 14 kills, 6 blocks and 6 digs, Aaron Strange had 11 kills and 7 digs, Andy Benesh had 8 kills (hitting.429) and 4 blocks and Gert Lisha had 12 digs. UC San Diego hit.328 in the match to USC s.225 and the Tritons had more blocks, 14.5 to 8.0. The Trojans had more digs, 44 to 32. The first set was tight throughout until consecutive USC kills ended it. UCSD returned the favor in the second set, which seesawed throughout until the Tritons scored the last 2 points while hitting.520 and getting 5.0 blocks. UC San Diego scored back-to-back points in the third set to break a 19-19 deadlock, all the margin it needed to close out the set. USC used a 3-0 run to go up 9-5 in the fourth set and built it to 13-7 before the Tritons fought back to move ahead behind a 4-0 run, 20-18, and held on for the victory. #12 (2/10)--#3 BYU 3, at USC 0 No. 3 BYU swept unranked USC, 27-25, 25-17, 25-16, in an MPSF match on Feb. 10 at USC s Galen Center. Both teams were without a key player. The Trojans were missing Gianluca Grasso of Brazil, who joined USC 3 weeks ago from a local junior college but was sidelined earlier this week after spraining his ankle in practice. The Cougars were missing kill leader Ben Patch, who was held out with an undisclosed injury. Lucas Yoder led USC with a matchhigh 15 kills, while teammates Matt Douglas had 10 digs and 8