Murphy Troy was a perfect fit for Trojans

The DVD landed on Bill Ferguson’s desk, one of dozens the then-USC assistant volleyball coach received annually from high school players eager to show their skills.

This one, though, was different, starting with the aspiring Trojan’s last name: Troy.

OK, that helps, Ferguson thought, chuckling to himself.

Four years later, Murphy Troy has sparked USC’s return to national prominence.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore from St. Louis powered USC through the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament last week and into the Final Four for the first time since 1991.

Third-seeded USC (20-10) plays second-seeded Penn State (27-3) tonight at Provo, Utah. The match, starting at 6 p.m. PDT, will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPNU. Top-seeded UC Irvine (25-5) plays fourth-seeded Ohio State (17-10) at 8 in a match that will be televised by ESPNU.

“We’re ready to make a run at this,” said Troy, an All-American outside hitter. “We’re not ready for this to end.”

The Trojans, who last won an NCAA men’s volleyball title in 1990, earned their spot in the national semifinals by defeating Stanford and top-ranked Irvine before outlasting Pepperdine in a grueling five-set match in the MPSF tournament final.

Troy had 23 kills in a championship match that thrust USC back onto the national volleyball stage.

During a 15-year period from 1977 to 1991, USC advanced to the NCAA semifinals 11 times. The Trojans won titles in 1977 and 1980 under Ernie Hix, 1988 under Bob Yoder and 1990 under Jim McLaughlin.

So when Saturday’s victory over Pepperdine ended the 17-year Final Four drought, the 38-year-old Ferguson was flooded with congratulatory e-mails, text messages and phone calls.

“To be able to get this back and make so many people happy and proud is really a neat thing,” said Ferguson, who is completing his third season as head coach.

USC’s run to Provo was rooted in a lineup change made in mid-March. With outside hitter Tri Bourne healed from a back injury, Troy moved from a left-side attacking position to opposite.

“We felt like Murphy could still control a game from the right side and that it would open everything up around him,” Ferguson said.

Troy’s footwork and attack angles changed, but it did not take long for the physics major to find a groove.

The Trojans, swept by Pepperdine in January, extended the Waves to five games in a rematch at USC’s Galen Center. After two more home matches, USC finished the regular season with six on the road, laying the mental groundwork for its postseason push.

“It’s not so much that we hit a hot streak, it’s more that we’ve gotten closer to reaching our potential,” Troy said. “It’s been more of a steady climb than an abrupt jump.”

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