The USC men’s volleyball team once again showcased its defensive prowess Saturday night, recording 13.5 blocks while limiting No. 15 UC Santa Barbara to a .100 hitting percentage in a dominant 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 sweep at Galen Center.
The Trojans moved to 7-0 on the season, marking the second consecutive year they have started with a perfect 7-0 record. The Gauchos on the other hand fell to 6-4.
“Tonight, our block and defense was where we needed it to be,” head coach Jeff Nygaard said. “We had 13 blocks in a three-game match, 22 digs. I feel like that side of the ball was doing a real nice job for us.”
Senior outside hitter Dillon Klein led all players with 14.5 points, recording 12 kills, three blocks and a service ace. The performance marked his 68th career match with double-digit kills. Redshirt junior opposite Noah Roberts added 10 kills and a service ace, reaching double figures in kills for the fourth time this season.
But it was sophomore middle blocker Parker Tomkinson who anchored the Trojan defense, leading all players with eight blocks – including two solo rejections – while hitting .500 with four kills.
“It was really nice to be able to finish one out today,” Tomkinson said after missing nearly three weeks with injury.
The opening set featured eight ties before USC seized control. After UCSB led several times early, the Trojans broke through with a Tomkinson block to take a 14-11 advantage.
USC’s blocking continued to stifle the Gaucho attack as the Trojans extended their lead to 22-17 on a Klein kill. UCSB attempted a late rally, but another Tomkinson assisted block closed out the 25-21 victory.
The Trojans held the Gauchos to just .086 hitting in the opening frame with five blocks, while USC hit .250 behind three kills from Roberts and two from Klein.
USC appeared to be cruising in the second set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and later extending the advantage to 17-11. But the resilient Gauchos clawed back, forcing the set’s first tie at 20-20.
With the set on the line, Klein and Roberts delivered crucial kills to help USC escape with a 25-23 win and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Klein finished with four kills in the set, while Roberts and junior setter Kahale Clini each added three. The Trojans hit .304 with 3.5 blocks in the frame, just enough to hold off UCSB’s .207 hitting.
Any doubt about the outcome evaporated in the third set. Despite four early ties, USC quickly seized control and never looked back, running away with a 25-16 victory to complete the sweep.
Klein dominated early with three kills in the first six rallies and finished the set with six kills and a block. Roberts contributed with four kills, while Tomkinson added three more to go with four blocks.
The Trojans posted their best hitting performance of the night in the decisive set. They recorded 13 kills on just three errors for a .455 hitting percentage. USC’s five blocks in the frame held the Gauchos to .000 hitting on 26 attacks.
“I love the fact...we started .250 then .304 then finished .455, which means we were really dialing it in.” Nygaard said. “...We just kept clicking and giving ourselves those good opportunities.”
Junior setter Caleb Blanchette orchestrated the USC offense with 27 assists, helping the Trojans hit .333 as a team. He also contributed four blocks, three digs and a kill.
For UCSB, Riggs Guy led with 11 kills, while George Bruening added seven and Ben Pearson chipped in eight.
USC improved to 60-57 all-time against UC Santa Barbara and moved to 6-0 at home this season. The Trojans will play a total of 16 home matches during the regular season.
The perfect start continues a trend of strong beginnings for USC, who also started 7-0 last season. But the schedule doesn’t get any easier from here.
The Trojans face their toughest test yet with a home-and-home series against No. 5 UC Irvine (11-0) next week. USC will visit the Bren Events Center on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. and reconvene at Galen Center on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
“Our biggest challenge is obviously going to be going 1-and-0 on Wednesday,” Tomkinson said of Irvine. “Irvine is a pretty good team, but we know what we have to do to take them down.”