Come with Me to a Men’s Volleyball Game
By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25
Did you know that USC students can watch regular-season, home games for almost every sport? Last week, Trojans faced off against UC San Diego at the Galen Center. As a long-time fan of USC volleyball, I jumped at the chance to see my school’s victory over the Tritons. Follow me to learn more about the volleyball game experience!
Tickets
Credit: Pac-12.com.
Trojans can attend most home sports games for FREE! If you want to bring a non-USC friend along to the game, general admission is $10. Make sure to get there early if you want to purchase a ticket, as I’ve seen the line get long on popular game days.
Location
The Galen Center, a 255,000 square foot arena, is located right by campus on Figueroa St. The center hosts home volleyball games, as well as basketball games, concerts, and ceremonies. Besides watching a game, visitors can view the impressive Athletic Department Hall of Fame, grab popcorn and a soda, or buy a t-shirt from the merchandise store.
Health and Safety Procedures
The Galen Center enforces a “clear bag policy” that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena for all events (one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” per person).
In addition, masks are enforced at all times, except if you are actively drinking or eating. Be prepared to show your USC ID and Trojan Check at the door!
Finally, the Game
Credit: @bpakphotos on Instagram.
The USC Men’s team is having a killer season so far. USC improved to 8-1 on the 2022 season, and they extended their winning streak against long-time opponents. Dating back to 1982, Trojans hold a 44-11 record in its series with UCSD. The Tritons kept each set close but ultimately succumbed to our team in three sets: 25-23, 25-18, 32-30. The most exciting part of the game was the last set, when the two teams were neck-to-neck. With each powerful kill or hard dig, scores painfully climbed up to 32-30. We swept the Tritons 3-0.
Meet the Players
Gallas (left); Kobrine (top right); Hall (bottom right). Credit: Usctrojans.com.
Sophomore opposite/outside hitter Simon Gallas’s 18 kills helped bring his team to victory. After opting out of playing last year and returning home to Germany, Gallas returned more powerful than ever.
Outside hitter Sam Kobrine, the AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Offensive Player of the Week, had 17 kills. This Corona Del Mar-native is a graduate student, who transferred from UCLA (I mean, the other Los Angeles school), in 2021.
Senior setter Chris Hall recorded 44 assists and 5 digs tonight. Hall is from Sherman Oaks, CA, and is a business administration major.
Come and Support
While the players were the main show, the USC band, Song Girls, and Cheer team were there to keep the “fight on” spirit alive. I could hear the band playfully heckle the UCSD team, hoping to psyche them out.
As a kid, my dad would bring me to USC volleyball games all the time. As a teenager, my high-school volleyball team cheered for the women’s team in the stands, hoping to be like them. Now as a student, I’m happy to bring my friends to volleyball games and show them how exciting the sport is. Even if you don’t know much about volleyball, going to a game is a fun (and free!) after-class activity. Come out to the Galen Center and support your team! Check out the 2022 Men’s Volleyball schedule here to catch the next set.
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
