While this weekend's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball matches between Southern California and Hawai'i mark the end of Mike Wilton's 17 years as head coach of the Warriors, it also marks a homecoming for Trojans Riley McKibbin and Tri Bourne.

USC comes to town with a 16-9 overall record and a 12-8 mark in the MPSF, currently in fifth place. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason tournament with the Trojans having already secured a berth. For the Warriors (8-17, 5-15), the matches will mark the end of the season.

"I know that even though his teams the past couple years haven't been as competitive there, when you look at his entire body of work, you have to give him a ton of credit for what he's done for Hawai'i volleyball," USC coach Bill Ferguson said of Wilton. "I think the thing that most impressed me with him is how much he really cares for his kids and that program. It's going to be an honor to be in his last game."

If USC wins both matches against the Warriors and Stanford loses either match against UC Irvine or UCLA this weekend, the Trojans will host the Cardinal in an MPSF first-round match.

At the helm of the USC offense is McKibbin, a 2007 Punahou graduate. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore setter was named a co-captain before the season.

"He's got this quiet confidence about him and as a setter, every player on the court looks at you before every serve, so you better have an air of confidence about you," Ferguson said. "The thing is, we didn't name him co-captain as a staff, he was voted by his peers on the team. But we were definitely happy that he was chosen. The bottom line is the kid is a winner and that shows when he's on the court."

McKibbin has averaged 13.45 assists and 1.88 digs per set while starting all 24 matches in which he has played. He has recorded 1,264 assists, 177 digs and 10 service aces in 94 sets.

"We had a three-year starter at setter last year, so it was good for Riley to get in here and there and get some experience," Ferguson said. "So by the end of last year, I knew he was ready."

Another player who has emerged of late for the Trojans is Bourne, a 2007 Academy of the Pacific graduate. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound sophomore outside hitter has averaged 1.46 kills in 54 sets. He has started seven of the 19 matches in which he's appeared.

"Tri actually ended up earning a starting role two-thirds of the way through last season, but he dealt with appendicitis last fall and hurt his back during the summer, so it took him until half our season to get him ready to play again," Ferguson said. "But, we're expecting him to be a real big contributor this year."

Bourne, who competed for Maryknoll because AOP did not have a volleyball team, averages 1.17 digs per set and has six aces.

"These matches are coming at a good time for Tri," Ferguson said. "He really came into his own during the UCLA match Friday night and I think he and Riley are both ready to come home, see their families and play in front of their home fans."

The teams play Friday and Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center with first serve set for 7 on both nights.

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