Los Angeles, Calif. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Volleyball team wrapped up its four-day, two-match California trip on Saturday evening, falling 3-0 to the No. 5 ranked University of Southern California at the Galen Center.

STAC drops to 0-2 on the young season, while USC picks up its first win and moves to 1-0.

After shaking off any opening night jitters that may have been present at Pepperdine University on Friday, the Spartans were able to settle in and play volleyball. All three sets were close at the start, with the Trojans pulling away late in each due to a few unforced errors and extraordinary efforts by the host team.

Set Results

Set 1: USC 25/STAC 16

Set 2: USC 25/STAC 15

Set 3: USC 25/STAC 25

How it Happened

• As a team, Southern California recorded 38 kills compared to St. Thomas Aquinas' 23. The Trojans also had 7.5 blocks and 33 assists, while the Spartans tallied no blocks and 21 assists.
• USC outhit STAC by a .417 to .056 margin for the match.
• Kyran Versteegen paced the Spartans offense with a team-high eight kills. He also registered a serve assist and three digs.
• Marcus Franck tallied a team-high 19 serve assists (6.33 assists/set). Franck also accumulated two kills and a dig for the maroon and gold.
• Gustavo Reinert picked up three kills and four digs on Saturday evening.
• Ylan Tapper racked up a kill, a serve assist and three digs against the Trojans.
• Jakob Schwarz contributed two kills and two digs.
• Ivaylo Todorov accumulated a kill and seven total digs in the match.
• Alusine Kemokai made a statement with a monster kill in the third set, blasting the ball into the hardwood near the back row.

Up Next

STAC returns to The Big Apple and will visit Long Island University on Tuesday, January 13. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.