THIS WEEK
No. 15 USC vs No. 7 UC Irvine
Wednesday, Feb. 7 | 7:00 PM | Bren Events Center
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No. 7 UC Irvine at No. 15 USC
Saturday, Feb. 10 | 7:00 PM | Galen Center
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FIRST SERVE
No. 7 UC Irvine will play No. 15 USC twice this week, starting in Irvine Wednesday (Feb. 7) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The two teams will then battle Friday (Feb. 9) at the Galen Center. First serve is 7:00 p.m.
 
STORYLINES
UCI lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season dropping a 3-2 loss at home to UCLA and a 3-1 defeat to the Bruins on the road.
 
The Anteaters are 5-3 overall.
 
Junior Hilir Henno had great numbers last week in two close matches against then-No. 5 UCLA. The outside hitter hit .464 (31-5-56) over the two matches, while firing six aces and averaging 1.44 digs. In the first match against the Bruins, he posted 15 kills and hit .481, while adding two aces, five digs and two blocks. In the second meeting at Pauley Pavilion, he recorded 16 kills, hitting .448 with four aces, eight digs and two total blocks.
 
Henno has recorded at least one ace and double-figure kills in every match this season.

The Big West career leader in aces (155), is six aces shy of tying Michael Saeta (2014-17) for second in UCI career aces. 
 
USC Is 7-3 on the year.
 
The Trojans split a pair of matches with UC San Diego last week. They dropped a five-setter in La Jolla and bounced back with a 3-0 sweep at home.
 
All three of USC's losses in 2024 have come in five sets.
 
USC was picked to finish fifth by the MPSF coaches in a preseason poll.

UCI beat USC, 3-2 in the lone meeting in 2023. Hilir Henno had 17 kills, including five in the fifth set. USC's Dillon Klein had a match-best 19 kills.
 
Nationally, UCI ranks ninth in assists per set (11.45) and 11^th in hitting percentage (.315) and kills (12.06).

AT THE NET
UCI has out-blocked the opponent in all but two matches.

The team had a season-high 17 versus BYU, the second most by a Big West team this season.

USC ranks fifth nationally in blocks (2.72) and sixth in hitting percentage (.355)
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Junior Hilir Henno is sixth nationally in aces (.697), seventh in points (4.67) and 11^th in both hitting percentage (.391) and kills (3.67).
 
Setter Brett Sheward is third in the Big West and eighth in the country in set assists per set with a 9.78 average. He is seventh in the Big West in dig average (1.56).
 
Middle blocker Connor Campbell ranks 13^th in the country in blocks (1.09).
 
GOING TO GRIGORIEV
Opposite Maxim Grigoriev has tallied double-figure kills in each of the last five matches.
 
The last time out, he recorded his second double-double of the year with 12 kills and a career-high 11 digs versus UCLA.
 
On the year, the 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year is averaging 2.61 kills, 1.55 digs and 1.06 blocks. He ranks fifth in blocks, 11^th in kills, 13^th in hitting percentage (.242) and 11^th in points (3.29) among Big West players.

DAHMINATOR
Conner Dahm has started in the middle the last four matches. In the first meeting with UCLA, he had a career-high eight kills, hitting .583 (8-1-12) and had a career-high five digs in the second meeting. The junior recorded a career-high six block assists in the second meeting at BYU.
 
On the year, he has 18 kills, 13 digs, 15 blocks and five aces.

UP NEXT
UCI will head to Stanford for a pair of matches Feb. 16 & 17.

Wednesday's match will be the last in the Bren Center until Mar. 13 against UC Santa Barbara. The Anteaters return to Crawford Hall to entertain Concordia on Feb. 23.