Alex Slaught dominates the net for the Trojans (Charlie Magovern/Neon Tommy).

The last time USC started this well overall was in 1991 when the defending national champion Trojans went 28-0 (They were upset by Long Beach State in the National Championship in four sets).

If the Trojans continue their impressive run, they are in serious contention to return to the title game. 

Senior setter Micah Christenson was pleased with the two wins at home for the Trojans. 

“I think we played well in all facets of the game,” Christenson said. “It’s really encouraging.” 

Against Long Beach State, senior middle blocker Robert Feathers led the team with eight kills, followed by red shirt sophomore outside hitter Christopher Orenic with seven kills. Sophomore middle blocker Andy Benesh hit a percent 1.00 with six kills on six attempts. 

Against CSUN, junior outside hitter Alex Slaught ruled the net with 13 kills. Benesh was particularly effective again; he knocked down seven kills on eight attempts. 

The Trojans also continue to dominate from the backline. Recording six aces in both matches, USC has proved that serving is one of their strengths. Both Slaught and Christenson led with three aces against CSULB and CSUN, respectively, and even when their opponents are able to receive the ball, they aren’t doing it cleanly. That’s a component that makes their serving so deadly: even when the serve is returned, it’s not returned well enough to set up an effective offense. 

These last two matches have looked more or less like effortless wins for the Trojans. That’s not to say that they aren’t working for every single point, it’s more that this team is just that good. The “one point at a time” mentality is present in every player—both on the court and on the bench. Their mental toughness is nothing to be messed with, as the vibe that captains Christenson and junior libero Brooks Varni give off coincides with the ebbs and flows of the game. They both know when do turn up the intensity and when to slow it down.  

READ MORE: Trojans Chop Down Cardinal, Remain Undefeated

Even with the wins at home, Head Coach Bill Ferguson thought that his team could have stayed a bit more focused against CSULB; however, his team adjusted and managed to stay focused through the majority of the match against CSUN. 

“It looked like [they might lose focus],” Ferguson shared. “But we were able to settle it down and take care of the easy stuff.”

In light of the upcoming Super Bowl, Coach Ferguson compared the match against Northridge to how his team sticks to their game plan much like Pete Carroll’s Seahawks.

“If you listen to Coach Carroll talk about the Seahawks, they talk about doing their thing,” Ferguson remarked. “And that’s what we did tonight, I was really proud of that.”

Even more so than sticking to their game plan, Coach Ferguson was pleased with his team’s defensive play.

“Everyone was balanced and patient,” discussed Ferguson. “We managed the ebbs and flows of the game.”

Andy Benesh continues to play at a high level match after match (Charlie Magovern/Neon Tommy).

Building off of their successful game plan and effective defense, the Trojans travel out to Hawaii next week for two matches against the Rainbow Warriors (6-2, 3-1 MPSF) who recently upset No. 4 UC Irvine in four sets (USC best them in five sets).

Christenson—a Hawaii native—is excited to go down for the matches.

“It’s an excuse to go to paradise, but we can’t treat it like paradise,” stated Christenson. “We’re going down there for business.”

Playing in Hawaii certainly is no trip to paradise. Home to one of the strongest fan bases for men’s volleyball, the Rainbow Warriors feed off their fans immensely.

“They’re the best volleyball crowd in America,” Ferguson remarked. “They’re good for about three points a set.”

Christenson reflected on the team’s last trip to Hawaii two years ago. He mentioned that the team played well for the first two sets and three-quarters through the third set, but then, Hawaii fed off the crowd and came back in five sets on both nights. Despite the past, Christenson knows that his team is looking forward to the challenge.

“I think we’re pretty straight, we know what our goal is,” added Christenson. “We’re doing everything to achieve it.”

The Trojans and Rainbow Warriors face off next Wednesday and Friday at 7pm HT, 9 pm PT.

Contact Staff Reporter Jodee Sullivan here and on Twitter here.