Bye-Bye BYU! USC Men’s Volleyball Team Advances in the MPSF

By Emily Young MA ‘16

Men’s volleyball clinched their last home game with a five set win against BYU in the first round of the MPSF Finals. The epic game was the last match for USC Men’s Volleyball seniors in the Galen Center. 

Saturday night was one of the best played volleyball matches I’ve ever seen in Galen Center. USC and BYU spilt during the regular season and Galen was filled with USC fans and BYU fans to determine the ultimate winner. The match lasted for two and a half hours, stretching all the way to the fifth and final set, 15-13. 

The Trojans came out hot in the first set with great urgency and intensity. Starting the first set up 5 points to 1, USC powered through the first game gaining a commanding win over BYU 25-17. In the second set the momentum flipped in BYU’s favor. The Trojans trailed throughout the game losing 20-25. The third and fourth sets were back and forth battles. USC won the third set 25-22 and lost the fourth set 23-25. 

It all came down to the fifth game. The game was back and forth until 11-11 when the Trojans scored three points in a row with kills from Alex Slaught, Robert Feathers, and Cristian Rivera. Then, the Trojans missed two game point opportunities and BYU closed the point gap to 14-13. Alex Slaught pounded the last point down and the gym erupted with fans cheering and the sweet sound of the USC marching band. Alex Slaught, Larry Tuileta, and senior Cristian Rivera had standout hitting performances with 21, 18, and 14 kills respectively. 

USC’s five game win over BYU is a testament to the team’s fighting mentality. This season USC has beaten every team in the conference at least once and has fought to the end of every match, winning 8 out of 10 five set matches. The team is led by coach Bill Ferguson who earned his 150th win at USC Saturday night as well as USC’s five seniors who have had a remarkable career in the Galen center.

USC senior Robert Feathers remarked, “being a senior and leaving Galen on that kind of note is something I’ll remember for a very long time. Now we are looking to get another win against UC Irvine." 

Good luck to USC Men’s volleyball in the rest of the MPSF tournament. You can cheer them on at UC Irvine 7:30pm Thursday (April 30). A special thanks to USC Men’s Volleyball seniors: Chris Lischke, Cristian Rivera, Micah Christenson, Robert Feathers, and Tyler Cundiff for being great role models, leaders, and friends. 

Fight On!