LOS ANGELES – No. 5 USC men’s volleyball (0-0) opens the 2026 season on Saturday (Jan. 10) at home against St. Thomas Aquinas (0-0). The Trojans and Spartans meet for the first time with first serve set for 5 p.m. PT at Galen Center.
 
The Trojans were 11-3 on their home floor last spring and are 7-3 in season openers under 11th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard. USC returns the lion’s share of a squad that ranked as high as No. 3 in 2025, finished second in the MPSF standings, and advanced to the conference championship match. Five Trojan returners were recognized by the AVCA’s All-America committee including first-team selection OH Dillon Klein and second-team choice MB Parker Tomkinson. S Caleb Blanchette, LIB Johnny Dykstra, and OH Sterling Foley all received All-America honorable mention.
 
Among notable departures, USC will need to replace points scored by OPP Jack Deuchar and must find someone to step in for the departed MB Guy Genis. OPP Noah Roberts and OH Christian Connell were each notable contributors last season and the Trojans benefit from the return of MB Wesley Smith who sat out the 2025 season due to injury.

MATCH #1 • Saturday, January 10 • 5 p.m. PT

No. 5 USC (0-0) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (0-0)

Galen Center • Los Angeles, Calif.

SERIES RECORD: First meeting

TV/STREAM: B1G+ (Andrew Giesler & Alex Buettgen)

OPPONENT WEBSITE: STACAthletics.com

FIRST SERVE (TL;DR)

• USC is led by 11th-year head coach Jeff Nygaard, a three-time Olympian in indoor and beach volleyball and a two-time NCAA champion.
• The Trojans are ranked fifth in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• USC is 35-21 all-time in season openers; 7-3 under Nygaard.
• For the third year in a row, USC will open its season with an opponent it meets for the first time: Fort Valley State (2024), Daemen (2025).
• Last year, the Trojans went 11-3 at home and only lost to a No. 2-ranked UC Irvine and twice to 13th-ranked Stanford.
• USC returns five players that were recognized by the AVCA All-America committee in 2025 including first-team choice OH Dillon Klein and second-team selection MB Parker Tomkinson. S Caleb Blanchette, OH Sterling Foley, and LIB Johnny Dykstra each received All-America honorable mention.
• The Men of Troy will play 16 home matches in 2026 and will play in Southern California for all but two regular-season matches (at BYU, April 10-11).
• In 2025, the Trojans the NCAA in blocks (2.86 bps) and led the MPSF in kills (13.11 kps, 5th NCAA), assists (12.24 aps, 3rd NCAA), and digs (8.82 dps). USC was also second in the MPSF in hitting percentage (.344, 4th NCAA).

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Winthrop University volleyball Head Coach Heather Gearhart has announced two transfers to Rock Hill for the 2026 squad, Kimanni Rugley, a middle blocker from Pearland, Texas and Cami Roberts, a setter from Myrtle Beach, S.C. 

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Kimanni Rugley | Middle Blocker | 6’1 | Pearland, Texas | North Dakota 

Rugley is joining the Eagles after spending her freshman season at North Dakota, where she appeared in 66 sets, totaling 77 kills, 107.0 points, 42.0 total blocks all while hitting a .232 clip. 

Rugley hit a career-high .818 with nine kills against UT Martin, for the highest hit percentage in a five-set match in UND history and achieved seven games with five or more kills. 

In her high school career, finished as a senior with a .449 attack percentage, ranking among the top 45 marks nationally and fourth in the state of Texas. She was a three-time All-District selection, earning first-team honors in 2022 and 2023, and was named conference offensive player of the year twice (2022, 2023) after being tabbed conference defensive player of the year in 2021. She was named conference MVP in 2023, earned two All-America selections, and was part of 143 wins over four seasons at PHS. 

Rugley on why she chose Winthrop: 
“The campus and gym are really gorgeous, after talking with Coach Heather and hearing about the goals she has for the team it was not only best for her but best for me and the team and I’m so excited to become a part of the group.” 

Gearhart on Rugley: 
“I am excited to have Kimanni join us after a strong start to her collegiate career. She will strengthen our middle group and be a great physical presence on both sides of the ball. The energy she plays with is infectious, and we are excited to have her personality join our group. She is going to add a lot to our program on and off the court right away.” 

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Cami Roberts | Setter | 6’0 | Myrtle Beach, S.C. | Johnson County CC 

Roberts is joining Winthrop after a year at Johnson County Community College in Kansas, after playing in 29 sets, totaling 148 assists for 5.10 assists per set. 

Roberts collected a career-high 38 assists against Central Methodist University JV in just three sets. 

The South Carolina native won districts with Grand Strand Juniors/Coast United and punched a ticket to the national tournament and was ranked 9th nationally. 

Off the court, Roberts was the vice president and one of the founders at my club called the One Love club in high school and went to Washington D.C. to speak to representatives to get it placed in all high schools and I was a leader at FCA at my previous university. 

Roberts on why she chose Winthrop: 
“I chose Winthrop because I absolutely fell in love with the campus and the people when I went my junior year and also, I wanted to be closer to home because I’m a big family girl. And I just love the environment and Rock Hill in general.” 

Gearhart on Roberts: 
“I am looking forward to adding Cami to our program after having known her for several years. She is a very steady competitor and will add a calm demeanor on the second contact for us. Cami has a ton of potential still left in her game, and I am excited to see her development take off in our gym. She is a well-rounded person in general that will fit right in with our culture, and I am so happy to have her back in her home state.” 

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UCSD subs: Hornyak, Ethan.

UCSD subs: Hornyak, Ethan.

—

UCSD subs: Ewert, Josh; Bartelt, Will; Powell, Aidan.

UCSD subs: Ewert, Josh; Bartelt, Will; Powell, Aidan.

UCSD

1-0

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Wieberg, Billy (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Wieberg, Billy (from Giraud, Jariel).

1

0

Daemen

2-0

[Wieberg, Billy] Service ace (Sani, Sebastiano).

[Wieberg, Billy] Service ace (Sani, Sebastiano).

2

0

Daemen

2-1

[Wieberg, Billy] Kill by Selcho, Peter (from Wurl, Cameron).

2

1

[Wieberg, Billy] Kill by Selcho, Peter (from Wurl, Cameron).

UCSD

2-2

[Selcho, Peter] Service ace (Rooney, Jack).

2

2

[Selcho, Peter] Service ace (Rooney, Jack).

UCSD

2-3

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wiemelt, Leo), block error by Giraud, Jariel.

2

3

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wiemelt, Leo), block error by Giraud, Jariel.

UCSD

3-3

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel).

3

3

Daemen

3-4

[O’Neil, Maverick] Service error.

3

4

[O’Neil, Maverick] Service error.

UCSD

4-4

[Pravednikov, Leo] Service error.

[Pravednikov, Leo] Service error.

4

4

Daemen

5-4

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Mullen, Patrick; Leicht, Peter).

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Mullen, Patrick; Leicht, Peter).

5

4

Daemen

6-4

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

6

4

Daemen

7-4

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Giraud, Jariel] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (from Giraud, Jariel).

7

4

Daemen

7-5

[Giraud, Jariel] Service error.

7

5

[Giraud, Jariel] Service error.

UCSD

8-5

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Rooney, Jack (from Zelasko, Kyle).

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Rooney, Jack (from Zelasko, Kyle).

8

5

Daemen

8-6

[Rooney, Jack] Attack error by Wieberg, Billy (block by Wurl, Cameron; Wiemelt, Leo).

8

6

[Rooney, Jack] Attack error by Wieberg, Billy (block by Wurl, Cameron; Wiemelt, Leo).

UCSD

9-6

[Wiemelt, Leo] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Zelasko, Kyle).

[Wiemelt, Leo] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Zelasko, Kyle).

9

6

Daemen

9-7

[Leicht, Peter] Service error.

9

7

[Leicht, Peter] Service error.

UCSD

10-7

[Wurl, Cameron] Kill by Wieberg, Billy (from Zelasko, Kyle).

[Wurl, Cameron] Kill by Wieberg, Billy (from Zelasko, Kyle).

10

7

Daemen

11-7

[Mullen, Patrick] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

[Mullen, Patrick] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

11

7

Daemen

11-8

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Sani, Sebastiano).

11

8

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Sani, Sebastiano).

UCSD

11-9

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

11

9

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

UCSD

12-9

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Giraud, Jariel (from Wieberg, Billy).

[Powell, Aidan] Kill by Giraud, Jariel (from Wieberg, Billy).

12

9

Daemen

13-9

[Wieberg, Billy] Attack error by Selcho, Peter (from Wurl, Cameron).

[Wieberg, Billy] Attack error by Selcho, Peter (from Wurl, Cameron).

13

9

Daemen

13-10

[Wieberg, Billy] Service error.

13

10

[Wieberg, Billy] Service error.

UCSD

14-10

[Selcho, Peter] Service error.

[Selcho, Peter] Service error.

14

10

Daemen

14-11

[O’Neil, Maverick] Service error.

14

11

[O’Neil, Maverick] Service error.

UCSD

15-11

[Pravednikov, Leo] Service error.

[Pravednikov, Leo] Service error.

15

11

—

UCSD subs: Luers, John; Bartelt, Will.

UCSD subs: Luers, John; Bartelt, Will.

Daemen

15-12

[Giraud, Jariel] Kill by Bartelt, Will (from Luers, John).

15

12

[Giraud, Jariel] Kill by Bartelt, Will (from Luers, John).

UCSD

16-12

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service error.

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service error.

16

12

Daemen

16-13

[Rooney, Jack] Service error.

16

13

[Rooney, Jack] Service error.

UCSD

17-13

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Bartelt, Will (from Sani, Sebastiano).

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Bartelt, Will (from Sani, Sebastiano).

17

13

—

Daemen subs: Basinski, Jake.

Daemen subs: Basinski, Jake.

Daemen

17-14

[Basinski, Jake] Kill by Selcho, Peter (from Luers, John).

17

14

[Basinski, Jake] Kill by Selcho, Peter (from Luers, John).

UCSD

17-15

[Wurl, Cameron] Attack error by O’Neil, Maverick (from Giraud, Jariel).

17

15

[Wurl, Cameron] Attack error by O’Neil, Maverick (from Giraud, Jariel).

UCSD

18-15

[Wurl, Cameron] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Wurl, Cameron] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel).

18

15

Daemen

19-15

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Wieberg, Billy.

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Wieberg, Billy.

19

15

Daemen

20-15

[Mullen, Patrick] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

[Mullen, Patrick] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Wurl, Cameron).

20

15

Daemen

20-16

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

20

16

[Mullen, Patrick] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

UCSD

21-16

[Powell, Aidan] Service error.

[Powell, Aidan] Service error.

21

16

Daemen

22-16

[Wieberg, Billy] Service ace (Selcho, Peter).

[Wieberg, Billy] Service ace (Selcho, Peter).

22

16

Daemen

22-17

[Wieberg, Billy] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

22

17

[Wieberg, Billy] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wurl, Cameron).

UCSD

23-17

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by O’Neil, Maverick (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by O’Neil, Maverick (from Giraud, Jariel).

23

17

—

Daemen subs: Bly, Johnaustin.

Daemen subs: Bly, Johnaustin.

Daemen

23-18

[Bly, Johnaustin] Service error.

23

18

[Bly, Johnaustin] Service error.

UCSD

24-18

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Rooney, Jack (from Giraud, Jariel).

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Rooney, Jack (from Giraud, Jariel).

24

18

Daemen

24-19

[Giraud, Jariel] Service error.

24

19

[Giraud, Jariel] Service error.

UCSD

24-20

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel), block error by Wurl, Cameron.

24

20

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Mullen, Patrick (from Giraud, Jariel), block error by Wurl, Cameron.

UCSD

24-21

[Sani, Sebastiano] Attack error by Rooney, Jack (block by Wiemelt, Leo; Powell, Aidan).

24

21

[Sani, Sebastiano] Attack error by Rooney, Jack (block by Wiemelt, Leo; Powell, Aidan).

UCSD

25-21

[Sani, Sebastiano] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (block by Leicht, Peter).

[Sani, Sebastiano] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (block by Leicht, Peter).

25

21

Honolulu, Hawaii – Loyola Chicago earned its first win of the 2026 season in dramatic fashion, knocking off No. 2 Hawai’i in a four-set thriller on Friday, Jan. 9. The Ramblers piled up 15 blocks on the way to victory, stunning over 6,650 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center. 

Aleksandar Sosa was a menace on the court, pacing Loyola’s attack with a match-high 19 kills on .378 hitting and earning himself Player of the Game. Setter Ryan McElligott recorded a double-double behind 40 assists and 11 digs. Libero JJ Sowa also reached double-digit digs (14) and from the front row, Aidan Klein, Daniel Fabikovic and Brad Bell each contributed six blocks. 

Coach Quote: Shane Davis

“I’m incredibly proud of how our guys responded tonight. This team showed toughness, maturity and belief. Aleksandar Sosa was huge for us tonight, he played with confidence and just had fun. This was a total team effort, between Ryan and Jake Read, our middles; it was a big step forward for us early in the season.”

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Ramblers set the tone early, trading points through the opening stretch before pulling ahead behind strong play at the net and service line. The front row had six blocks, led by Brad Bell (3), and McElligott served four aces, including the set-winner. Sosa powered the offense with eight kills and Loyola took the first set 25-23. 

SET 2 | Loyola built on a set-one win by securing a 25-22 victory in the second. Neither team led by more than two for most of the frame, which saw 15 tied scores and five lead changes. After the lead changed hands four times, the Ramblers took control at 22-21 and had the advantage through the end. Read stuffed the set-winning block to take a commanding 2-0 lead. 

SET 3 | Hawai’i refused to go quietly and avoided a sweep with a third-set win to make it 2-1. The Rainbow Warriors erased a seven point Ramblers’ lead and tied the nail-biting frame at 23-23 before taking it 26-24. 

SET 4 | Determined to close it out, Loyola jumped out early in the fourth set, using its block and serve to disrupt Hawai’i’s momentum. Fabikovic led the offense with five kills and helped the Ramblers’ defense frustrate the Rainbow Warriors into errors. Hawai’i made a late push, but Loyola answered every run and sealed the match on a block by Bell and Fabikovic. 

Inside the Box Score

• Read was a game-changer, contributing eight kills, eight digs, three blocks (one solo, two assists), two assists and an ace. 
• Klein recorded a career-high six blocks and his best hitting clip to date (.538). 
• McElligott had a career-high five services aces and matched his career-high 11 digs.

Up Next

The Ramblers head to the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Ariz. to face the Stanford Cardinals (Jan. 17) and UCLA Bruins (Jan. 18). 

PROVO, Utah — Trent Moser’s game-high 14 kills along with Tyler Herget’s 35 assists powered No. 8 BYU men’s volleyball over Saint Francis (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) in a 3-0 sweep.

For a team that lost a number of key contributors from last season, Moser’s return to the team after a season at Grand Canyon, combined with the emergence of both new and returning players, has the Cougars in a spot that Head Coach Shawn Olmstead is excited about.

“I’m happy for them,” Olmstead said. “They needed to get out here and shake their wings and get the rust off a little. I’m excited for everybody to see this team that we’ve seen, but it’s not close to the level these guys will be at.”

In the Cougar attack, returning junior Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga contributed nine kills in the victory. Freshman AJ Cottle cashed in eight kills on 10 swings and four blocks. Freshman Trevor Herget racked up three aces, including back-to-back aces on the first two serves of his collegiate career. Sophomore Connor Oldani added six kills and a career-high 10 digs. Oldani also transferred to BYU along with Moser.

“It feels so good to have this much support,” Moser said. “The first set today felt kind of weird, honestly. I felt like I was here yesterday. It’s been two years, so I’m happy to be back.”

BYU out-hit Saint Francis .310 to .164 in the win. The Cougars out-killed the Red Flash by 18 (42-24), digs by 14 (30-16), blocks by three (7-4) and had three less service errors (15-12).

Set 1

After a 2-2 start, which included a Moser kill as the first Cougar point of the season, BYU went on a 3-0 run. Back-to-back aces were recorded by Tufuga. The Cougars then added on a 4-0 run after some back-and-forth scoring. Moser and Gavin Chambers added to the kill count in the run. At the media timeout, the Cougars led 15-8.

The Red Flash countered BYU’s attack with a 5-0 run of their own and three consecutive aces in the run. Out of a Cougar timeout, Saint Francis chipped away BYU’s lead and tied it up 16-16.

The Cougars regained their lead thanks to kills by Tufuga, Cottle and two by Moser to go up 21-18. BYU capped off the set 25-22 with Moser’s seventh kill at set point to take a 1-0 match lead.

Set 2

The Red Flash were first to make a statement and began the set with a 3-0 run that included two Saint Francis kills. A Tufuga ace would then tie it 3-3 before the Red Flash gradually increased its lead to five, 14-9.

BYU responded to the deficit with a 6-1 run and took its first lead of the set at 16-15. Kills by Chambers, Oldani, and Moser along with three Cougar blocks attributed to the momentum swing. 

After both squads traded points, the Cougar lead grew to four, 22-18, with freshman Trevor Herget posting back-to-back aces on the first two serves of his career. Tufuga closed out the set with three straight kills to help BYU win the second set 25-20. 

Set 3

Following a 3-3 draw to start the third, Saint Francis tacked on a 3-0 run which included three BYU errors. Cottle then recorded three kills as BYU fought back to tie it up 7-7.

Each team exchanged scores until the Cougars took charge with two Moser kills and an Oldani kill in the midst of a 4-0 run. Then, Cottle got a kill and shared a block to extend BYU’s lead to six, 18-12, forcing a Red Flash timeout.

A string of errors from both sides, five by Saint Francis and three by BYU, made the score 23-16 in favor of the Cougars. A kill by Trevor Herget to force match point and another kill sealed the set and match to give BYU the 3-0 sweep over the Red Flash. 

Up Next

These same two teams will face each other again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The match can be viewed live on Big Ten Plus and on-demand at BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App after 10 p.m.

MITCHELL — After a 35-year coaching and teaching career, it won’t be easy for Deb Thill to retire.

It’s been the reward of helping kids succeed, grow and develop that has kept the Kernel coach involved in four decades.

Thill, who has been Mitchell High School’s only volleyball coach in Kernel history, formally announced her retirement on Friday, set to retire at the end of the school year from the only school district she’s ever worked for. Thill is also leaving her position as a physical education teacher at L.B. Williams Elementary and as the Kernels’ track and field head coach.

She joked Friday that retirement had to happen eventually, but she’s looking forward to having more time for herself and her family going forward.

“I’ve been in the education and coaching field for so long, and I thought it was probably time for me to do some other things before I’m too old to do it,” she said.

Thill’s volleyball coaching career included Class AA state championships in 1995 and 2003, and 15 trips to the state tournament, including a final trip in 2025. The first was in 1993, sending the Kernels to the state tournament in four different decades. She reached 500 career volleyball coaching victories in 2024 and she was the longest-tenured high school volleyball coach in Class AA volleyball history.

“Deb Thill’s impact on Mitchell athletics is truly extraordinary. As the first and only head volleyball coach in program history, she built a standard of excellence that continues to define our school,” Mitchell High School Activities Director Cory Aadland said in a statement. “Beyond the success of her teams, Deb’s greatest legacy is the countless student-athletes she mentored, inspired and prepared for life. Her dedication, leadership, and passion for education-based athletics will be felt in our community for generations.”

In an interview, Thill recalled that Mitchell and Yankton were the final two Class AA schools to start a volleyball program in 1991-92, and Mitchell had more than 100 girls out for volleyball, with only three levels of teams in the program to start.

“We kept growing as a program and there was a lot of interest and a lot of girls wanted to play volleyball,” Thill said. “In four years, we were vying for the state championship against Yankton, and that was pretty memorable. We were blessed with good athletes right at the beginning.”

From that standpoint, Thill isn’t that surprised that volleyball has grown as much nationally as it has, flourishing collegiately and with professional leagues popping up.

“Once you play the game, and if you have good people around you, you’re kind of hooked, between playing or watching or coaching because it is very much a team sport,” she said. “And the game itself has changed so that it’s much more fan friendly from when it first started.”

Thill has coached track and field since 2012 and been the head coach for four seasons, a role she will continue to do through May. She also was a girls basketball coach with the Kernels for 13 years, with 11 as an assistant for Gary Munsen and then two years as head coach after South Dakota switched its volleyball and girls basketball seasons, moving volleyball to the fall and basketball to the winter, which didn’t allow Munsen to coach both anymore.

Once again, it was the right place, right time for Thill, who led the Kernels to a state championship in her first season as head coach in 2003 and finished third in 2004, with Mitchell 43-3 under her leadership in two seasons. In 2004, she relinquished the girls basketball job to spend more time with her family.

“Looking back, it was a little much. At the Class AA level, it’s just pretty rare to find someone that will coach multiple sports,” Thill said on Friday. “And just in general, people don’t coach very long. To coach for 35 years, that’s probably an anomaly. … One of my goals was to be a good role model for young women to show you can have a career, you can have a family, you can do a lot of those things and make it work and do it well.”

Thill was the state’s volleyball coach of the year in 2003 and is a past president of the South Dakota High School Coaches Association.

In retirement, Thill said she’s looking forward to more time with her children and family and to be able to take some trips.

Aadland said the search for Mitchell’s next coaches for volleyball and track and field will begin immediately.

Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.