No. 4 Southern California continued its dominant midseason run Saturday night, sweeping the Menlo Oaks 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-11) at Galen Center. The Trojans extended their winning streak to six matches, winning 18 consecutive sets — the longest streak under head coach Jeff Nygaard and the second-longest in program history.
USC (14-3, 6-2 MPSF) followed up Friday’s dominant showing with four different starters, hitting .312 as a team while controlling the match at the net and in transition. USC finished with 39 kills, 10 blocks and 31 digs, limiting Menlo to a .035 hitting percentage. It was the 14th time this season USC has hit above .300 and the eighth match with double-digit blocks.
“I like how we’re working out those relationships,” Nygaard said on distributing playing time. “We’ve got some guys out there that we want to get the experience for. They’ve been working hard.”
The Trojans’ balance was evident throughout, with five players recording at least five kills.
Senior outside hitter Dillon Klein led all players with 10 kills on .316 hitting while adding four blocks, four digs and an ace. The performance marked his 75th career match with double-digit kills in just 94 appearances.
Sophomore outside hitter Christian Connell turned in one of his most complete performances of the season with nine kills, six digs and two blocks on .350 efficiency. Redshirt junior outside hitter Noah Roberts also contributed with eight kills and four blocks in his return from his shoulder injury, giving USC steady production across all attacking positions.
Junior middle blocker Thiago Zamprogno was highly efficient, posting six kills on eight swings for a .625 hitting percentage while adding a match-high five blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Parker Tomkinson also made a strong impact in the middle with five kills and four blocks.
For Menlo (3-13, 2-5), freshman middle blocker Max Jarrett led the team with nine kills but struggled with efficiency, hitting .080 on a match-high 25 attempts. Freshman outside hitter Alexandre Ferdani added four kills, while sophomore opposite Mark Ensalaco and senior opposite Mathias Durfee each chipped in three.
Former Trojan and graduate setter Joshua Friedman dished out 16 assists, but the Oaks were unable to find a consistent offensive rhythm against USC’s block and back-row defense. Friedman had the sole ace for the Oaks.
The opening set proved to be the most competitive of the match. There were 11 ties and four lead changes as Menlo challenged early, hitting .296 as a team. USC responded late, closing on a 4-1 run to secure a 25-21 win behind efficient attacking from Klein and Connell, who each had five kills in the set.
The second set saw USC begin to separate. The Trojans’ aggressive serving and stronger blocking presence disrupted Menlo’s offense, building a comfortable margin en route to a 25-16 win. USC recorded four service aces and four blocks in the set while holding the Oaks to a negative hitting percentage.
Any remaining momentum for Menlo faded in the third. After a brief early Menlo lead, the Trojans surged ahead and never looked back with a balanced offensive attack and stifling defense. The Trojans hit .281 in the frame and outscored the Oaks 13-6 in kills, cruising to a 25-11 finish to complete the sweep.
The 14-point margin in the third set matched USC’s largest set win of the season and marked the second consecutive night the Trojans defeated Menlo 25-11 in a set.
USC outperformed Menlo in nearly every statistical category, including kills (39-23), service aces (4-1) and digs (31-21), while holding a significant sideout advantage (77.6% to 50%). The Trojans held Menlo to just 1.5 blocks while dishing out 10 blocks of their own.
With the victory, USC improved to 4-0 all-time against Menlo and moved to 11-2 at home this season. The Trojans recorded their 10th sweep of the year, continuing one of the program’s most dominant stretches in recent years.
USC will face its second tree-themed opponent when No. 14 Stanford visits Galen next week in back-to-back matches on Friday and Saturday.