Trojans Outlast CardinalTrojans Outlast Cardinal
Karen Ambrose Hickey/Stanford Athletics
Men's Volleyball

Trojans Outlast Cardinal

Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Despite out hitting the Trojans, No. 9 Stanford dropped a 19-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-22, 15-17 decision to No. 13 USC, Sunday, at the Galen Center.

Stanford (9-6, 2-2 MPSF) is now 3-2 in five-set matches this season with boss losses coming on the road. USC (7-7, 1-3 MPSF) snaps a five-match losing streak and picks up its first conference win of 2023.

Outside hitter Will Rottman led Stanford with 21 kills on .362 hitting, five assists, five digs and three blocks. Setter Nathan Lietzke turned in a double-double with 45 assists and 11 digs, while opposite Theo Snoey recorded his second career double-double with 18 kills and 11 digs.
 


As a team, Stanford posted a .369 attack percentage, limiting itself to just six unforced hitting errors for the match. The Trojans registered a .333 team hitting percentage and tallied seven aces.

Snoey's 18 kills came on a .471 attack percentage. The freshman also notched three blocks, two assists and an ace. Outside hitter Kevin Lamp was in double figures for the third consecutive match, totaling 12 kills, seven digs, a block and an ace.
 


For the match, there were 28 tie scores and 10 lead changes and both teams had a sideout rate of 65 percent. The Cardinal did not trail in the two sets it won.

Libero Justin Lui recorded a match-high 12 digs and had a season-best seven assists. Middle blocker Ethan Hill was errorless for the second straight match, posting eight kills on 18 swings. He also tied for a match-high with five blocks. Middle blocker Nathaniel Gates chipped in with four kills on .444 hitting and a block.
 


Stanford had a 24-20 lead in the third set, but USC reeled off six straight points with Jackson Reed at the service Line. Reed's final serve of the set was initially called out, but was overturned after USC head coach Jeff Nygaard went to the challenge card.

The Trojans were led by freshman outside hitter Dillon Klein, the son of Cardinal alum Jimmy Klein (1990-93), who had a career-high 29 kills. Opposite Simon Gallas added 19 kills, seven digs and three aces for USC.

Stanford returns to The Farm next week, playing host to No. 14 CSUN on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 6 UC Irvine on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.