The University of Southern California's Men's Volleyball has been toward the top of their Division for many years. They just recently inducted their former coach, Jim McLaughlin, to their AVA hall of fame. He was an outstanding coach, being the only coach to have won the NCAA Division I championship for men's and women's volleyball.
The team has won a total of 6 Division I championships in their time, the most recent being in 1990 with McLaughlin. Volleyball as a sport does not get as much recognition as its players should, the men almost less so as volleyball was considered a more feminine sport for years. USC men's volleyball has the potential to change it all.
The team plays in the Galen Center. It is an arena capable of housing 10,258 seats for avid volleyball fans. The school has a lot of pride in its men's volleyball program.
In the team's 2021 lineup they have an exciting arrangement of players. They have 11 of their players that are 6'7 or over. Their lineup of 3 liberos, one an incoming freshman, is also very exciting.
The team hopes that their head coach, Jeff Nygaard, can lead them to a victory this season. Nygaard himself is a 3-time Olympian and this is his fifth season coaching the Trojans. His best season was in 2019 when the team exponentially improved based on their previous season.
Not only do they look good on paper but they also look great on the court. They have recruited from all over the world, Simon Gallas being the furthest from Germany. Their jersey number 1 is Brandon Browning, their starting outside hitter for the year. Scoring a total of 201 points in his career, Browning is set up to have a great 2021 season.
The school has had a total of 29 athletes participate in the Olympics for volleyball. Just last year they had a female volleyball player get a gold medal for beach volleyball. The United States is 3rd in the world for men's volleyball so having alumni as part of the team is a huge honor for the school.
They had a 2016 graduate, Micah Christenson, get accepted to play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was prided with the award for the top setter in college volleyball and was the youngest setter to start for the school.
These are the athletes that are products of USC and the volleyball team. The current concrete schedule is still being adjusted for the 2021 season, however, when it is set be sure to look out for this school and these athletes.
