PHOENIX-Simon Gallas had 19 kills while hitting .404 to help the No. 5-ranked USC men’s volleyball team sweep the No. 10 Grand Canyon 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 27-25 ) in Phoenix on Saturday (April 16).
With the victory, the Trojans secured the No. 2 seed in the MPSF tournament which begins next week.
USC moves to 21-6 on the 2022 season (8-4 MPSF), while the Lopes are down to 16-11 overall (6-6 MPSF).
It’s the most regular-season wins (21) since USC won 24 in 2012, and the most conference wins (8) since also winning 8 in 2012. 2017.
In addition to his 19 kills, Gallas recorded 7 digs, 2 blocks and 1 aces for the Trojans. Sam Kobrin added 14 kills (.346) and had 6 digs, 1 block and 1 ace. out of the middle, Lucas Frassrand picked up 9 kills, hitting an impressive .900 and added 1 ace and 1 recovery.
For the Lopes, Hugo Fischer had 14 kills with .226, while Camden Gianni added 11 kills with .357.
As a team, USC struck. 352 compared to the Grand Canyon’s .228.
The Trojans were locked in to start the game, and it showed when they took a 9-6 lead to force an early Grand Canyon timeout. Hall found success with his pin hitters as Gallas, Kobrine and Browning scored throughout the set. The Trojans never wavered and won the first set 25-22.
The Lopes started to find their rhythm in the second set. After Grand Canyon took a 13-9 lead, the Trojans found themselves battling from behind. Maximizing Grand Canyon’s errors as well as the eliminations of Gallas and Schroeder, USC tied the set at 18-18. Kobrine chained a winning streak and Gallas closed the set as the Trojans won 25-22 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Grand Canyon was determined not to let this match end in three sets. They took a five-point lead with a 15-10 lead. USC, led by Gallas, had to fight to get back into the set. Lopes led 22-20, but in true “Fight On” style, USC tied the score at 25-25 and won the final two points to win the set and the match.
The Trojans will now begin their MPSF Tournament journey. The entire tournament will be played at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, California.
If the Trojans win, they will advance and play the semifinal game on Thursday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. PT. The MPSF Championship game will take place on Saturday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m. PT.