No. 7 USC Men’s Volleyball Sweeps No. 13 UC San Diego 3-0

LOS ANGELES—Simon Gallas had 18 kills while hitting .279 to help the No. 7 ranked USC men's volleyball team defeat No. 13 UC San Diego 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 32-30) at the Galen Center on Wednesday (Feb. 2). 
 
USC improves to 8-1 on the 2022 season, equaling the team's best start since 2015. The Tritons dropped to 3-3 overall. 
 
Outside hitter Sam Kobrine, the AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Offensive Player of the Week, notched 17 kills (.424), 7 digs, 1 block, 1 ace and 1 assist. In addition to Gallas' 18 kills, the redshirt sophomore opposite decorated his stat sheet with 3 blocks and 2 aces. 
 
Earning a starting spot tonight, outside hitter Adam Flood had 6 kills (.294), 5 blocks, 2 digs, 2 aces and 1 assist. Setter Chris Hall recorded 44 assists and 5 digs on the night. 
 
For the Tritons, Kyle McCauley collected 15 kills hitting .222, while Logan Clark added 9 kills hitting .533.
 
As a team, USC hit. 339 compared to UC San Diego's .226. 

It was a battle right away as the Trojans and the Tritons exchanged points back and forth to start the first set. After scoring three points in a row to take an 18-17 lead, the Trojans found their groove. USC outlasted UC San Diego and made a final push at the end of the set to win 25-23. 
 
USC carried its momentum from winning the first set into set two. The Trojans took a 14-11 lead and never let up. Kobrine and Gallas continued to be a force to be reckoned with from the pins. USC put its foot to the pedal and extended its lead to 21-16. Kobrine ended the set scoring from the service line for a 25-18 victory to push the Trojans to a 2-0 overall lead in the match. 
 
The Tritons came back swinging in the third set and the two teams remained neck and neck. Countless exciting rallies made for a thrilling end to the match. The two teams went to extra points and tallied up nine match points. With true "fight on" spirit, the Trojans came out victorious winning the set 32-30.  
 
Up next, USC travels to the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. to take on No. 3 Long Beach State on Friday (Feb. 4) at 7 p.m. PT.