The No. 2 UCLA men's volleyball team (17-1, 4-0) recorded 13 aces while winning its eighth match in a row with a sweep of Concordia-Irvine (5-11, 0-4) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) contest held in Irvine on Friday night. Scores of the match were 25-15, 25-19, 25-16.
Seven different Bruins notched aces topped by three-each by Zach Rama and Andrew Rowan. It was the fourth match this season in which UCLA has tallied at least 10 aces. This is the best start to a season since the 1995 Bruin team, which won its first 12 matches, finished with a 31-1 record and captured the NCAA title with a victory over Penn State in the championship match. The last time UCLA entered the month of March with one loss or less was in the 1998 campaign when it was 15-0 entering the third month of the year.
UCLA jumped out to a 5-3 lead in set one after an ace from Ido David. A Rowan ace made it 9-7. A couple of Merrick McHenry kills put UCLA up 13-10 and 15-11. Guy Genis and Rowan combined for a block and a 19-12 edge. Ethan Champlin's spike made it 22-14. Back-to-back kills by Zach Rama decided the set at 25-15.
In set two, aces by Rowan and Champlin helped UCLA open an early 5-2 lead. Rama's spike left the Bruins in charge at 8-4. Genis' swing kept UCLA up 11-7. A back row smash from Rama made it 17-14. After CUI closed to 19-17, McHenry answered with a kill. A David kill and a Rama kill lifted the Bruins to a 23-18 margin. Rama came through with the deciding attack, his fifth kill of the frame, for a 25-19 win.
UCLA rolled to a 5-0 start to set three. J.R. Norris IV's ace made it 7-1. A McHenry kill put the Bruins up 9-5. Back-to-back aces from Rama increased the margin to 13-5. Cooper Robinson fired an ace for a 19-8 lead. Grant Sloane added a kill for 20-9. Cole Ketrzynski's put away doubled up the Golden Eagles at 22-11. Setter Ayrton Garcia-Jurado finished off the frame with an assist to Norris for a 25-16 win.
The Bruins outhit CUI .453 to .197 to mark the 10th time this season the opponent has been held under a .200 hitting percentage. Troy Gooch totaled a season-high 13 digs in the match. Rama led UCLA with a season-high 11 kills and added three aces. McHenry hit at least .500 for the fifth-straight match. Rowan registered an ace for the seventh straight match.
UCLA will travel to Honolulu next week to play in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational. This coming Thursday UCLA will square off with No. 3 Penn State (13-1) at 6 p.m. PT. On Friday, the Bruins face Purdue Fort Wayne (12-4) at 6 p.m. PT. Saturday night at 9 p.m. PT, UCLA will battle top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Hawai'i (14-0). That match will be on ESPN+.
Seven different Bruins notched aces topped by three-each by Zach Rama and Andrew Rowan. It was the fourth match this season in which UCLA has tallied at least 10 aces. This is the best start to a season since the 1995 Bruin team, which won its first 12 matches, finished with a 31-1 record and captured the NCAA title with a victory over Penn State in the championship match. The last time UCLA entered the month of March with one loss or less was in the 1998 campaign when it was 15-0 entering the third month of the year.
UCLA jumped out to a 5-3 lead in set one after an ace from Ido David. A Rowan ace made it 9-7. A couple of Merrick McHenry kills put UCLA up 13-10 and 15-11. Guy Genis and Rowan combined for a block and a 19-12 edge. Ethan Champlin's spike made it 22-14. Back-to-back kills by Zach Rama decided the set at 25-15.
In set two, aces by Rowan and Champlin helped UCLA open an early 5-2 lead. Rama's spike left the Bruins in charge at 8-4. Genis' swing kept UCLA up 11-7. A back row smash from Rama made it 17-14. After CUI closed to 19-17, McHenry answered with a kill. A David kill and a Rama kill lifted the Bruins to a 23-18 margin. Rama came through with the deciding attack, his fifth kill of the frame, for a 25-19 win.
UCLA rolled to a 5-0 start to set three. J.R. Norris IV's ace made it 7-1. A McHenry kill put the Bruins up 9-5. Back-to-back aces from Rama increased the margin to 13-5. Cooper Robinson fired an ace for a 19-8 lead. Grant Sloane added a kill for 20-9. Cole Ketrzynski's put away doubled up the Golden Eagles at 22-11. Setter Ayrton Garcia-Jurado finished off the frame with an assist to Norris for a 25-16 win.
The Bruins outhit CUI .453 to .197 to mark the 10th time this season the opponent has been held under a .200 hitting percentage. Troy Gooch totaled a season-high 13 digs in the match. Rama led UCLA with a season-high 11 kills and added three aces. McHenry hit at least .500 for the fifth-straight match. Rowan registered an ace for the seventh straight match.
UCLA will travel to Honolulu next week to play in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational. This coming Thursday UCLA will square off with No. 3 Penn State (13-1) at 6 p.m. PT. On Friday, the Bruins face Purdue Fort Wayne (12-4) at 6 p.m. PT. Saturday night at 9 p.m. PT, UCLA will battle top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Hawai'i (14-0). That match will be on ESPN+.