No. 7 USC Men's Volleyball Defeats CSUN 3-0 to Improve to Best Start Since 2011

 LOS ANGELES--Sam Kobrine had 13 kills while hitting .385 to help the No. 7 ranked USC men's volleyball team sweep Cal State Northridge 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23) at the Galen Center on Thursday (Feb. 10). 
 
USC improves to 10-2, which is the Trojans' best start since USC's NCAA Final Four season of 2011. The Matadors drop to 3-2 overall. 
 
Simon Gallas tallied on 10 kills of his own (.296) and added on 3 blocks, 3 digs and an ace. Adam Flood added 7 kills (.250), 3 digs and 2 blocks. 
 
For CSUN, Kyle Hobus collected 8 kills hitting -.107, while Luke Krzmarzick added 7 kills hitting .136.
 
As a team, USC hit .303 compared to CSUN's .120. 
 
The Trojans took a 14-9 lead to start the match. Sam Kobrine was challenging to stop from the left pin and was able to score in a variety of ways. His ability to hit every shot is an asset for the USC offense. The Matadors fought their way back into the set trailing by two at 20-18, but Simon Gallas' massive solo block brought all the energy back to the Trojan side of the net. Kobrine closed out the set with a kill and USC won 25-20. 
 
The Matadors came into the second set with more energy to take an early 10-8 lead, but USC scored the next five points to jump ahead 13-10 and maintained the lead the rest of the set. The Trojan pin hitters continued to be dominant for USC to help the Trojans win 25-18. 
 
After starting the third set 7-7, the Trojans found their groove and began to make a push. Liam Schroeder scored two kills in a row to give USC a 15-11 lead. The Matadors fought back to tie up the score at 23-23, but the Trojans had the final word winning the set 25-23 and taking the match.
 
USC now has a week off from matches, but will face Pepperdine on two different nights the following week. First, the Trojans drive up PCH to challenge the Waves in Malibu, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. PT, and then Pepperdine will visit the Galen Center on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. PT.