Photo by: UCLA Athletics
MVB Awarded Top Seed Into NCAA Tournament
April 23, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
The UCLA men's volleyball squad earned the No. 1 seed into the seven-team NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship, which will he hosted by George Mason University at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. from April 30-May 6. The Bruins received a bye into the semifinals and will begin the quest for the program's 20th NCAA Championship on May 4 at 2 p.m. PT.
The NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship kicks off on Sunday, April 30 when Conference Carolinas champ King University (16-15) squares off with the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champ Ohio State (22-9), winners of 11 straight, in Opening Match 1.
On May 2, in Opening Matches 2 and 3, Penn State (26-3), which captured the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference title, will battle against the winner of the King / Ohio State contest. At-large teams from Grand Canyon (22-7) of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Long Beach State (20-4) of the Big West Conference will tangle in the other Opening Match.
The national semifinal matches will take place on May 4 and be streamed by ncaa.com. The top-seeded Bruins will play the winner of the Grand Canyon / Long Beach State match at 2 p.m. PT. No. 2 seed Hawai'i (28-2), the champion of the Big West Conference, meets the winner of the Penn State versus the King vs. Ohio State Opening Match 1 winner at 4:30 p.m. PT.
The NCAA Men's Collegiate National Championship match is set for a 2 p.m. PT start on Saturday May 6 and will be televised by ESPN2.
UCLA earned an at-large bid into last year's NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. It defeated Pepperdine in an Opening Match before losing to Long Beach State in the semifinal round. The Bruins also advanced to the semifinal round in the 2018 NCAA Championship before dropping a five-set decision to Long Beach. The Bruins have captured 19 titles overall in the sport, with the last coming after a 3-0 win over Penn State in 2006. UCLA has compiled a record of 7-2 in 2023 versus the teams in this year's championship field (1-0 v. Ohio State; 0-0 v. King, 2-0 v. Long Beach State, 3-0 v. Grand Canyon, 1-1 v. Penn State, 0-1 vs. Hawai'i).
The Bruins head into this year's tournament having won 10 straight matches and after finishing first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season race with a perfect 12-0 mark. It was the first season in which UCLA has compiled a perfect regular-season league record since the 1995 squad, which went on the win the national title that year, posted a 19-0 MPSF mark. On Saturday, UCLA captured the program's first MPSF Tournament title since 2006, another NCAA title year for the Bruins, in a three-set win at Stanford.
UCLA owns a 29-2 record this season under 11th-year head coach John Speraw who posted his 400th career win as a collegiate head coach earlier this year. Coach Speraw (UCLA Class of '95) won three NCAA titles as the head coach (2012, 2009, 2007) at UC Irvine. He also earned three titles as an assistant coach while at UCLA (1996, 1998, 2000) and two more as a player at UCLA (1993, 1995). UCLA now has won as many as 29 matches in a season for the first time since it went 29-5 on the way to winning the national championship in 2000 over Ohio State. The 3-0 win over Stanford for the MPSF Tournament title marked the 20th Bruin sweep of the season which is the most by a UCLA team since the 1998 squad, which also won the NCAA title, had 20 wins in straight sets.
After last season's 22-5 record, the Bruins have posted the first back-to-back 20-win seasons by the program since the 2012 and 2013 squads recorded 22 and 21 wins, respectively. The all-time school mark for wins in a season is 38 (1987 and 1984 seasons). The last time it won 30 matches in a season was during a 31-1 campaign in 1995 which produced an NCAA Championship with a win over Penn State and featured Coach Speraw as a player.
2023 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship
All matches played at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena
all times listed are Pacific Daylight Time
April 30 – Opening Round Match 1
King vs. Ohio State – 3 p.m. PT
May 2 – Opening Round Matches 2 & 3
Grand Canyon vs. Long Beach State – 2 p.m. PT
Penn State vs. King/Ohio State winner – 4:30 p.m. PT
May 4 – Semifinals (stream on ncaa.com)
No. 1 seed UCLA vs. winner of Grand Canyon / Long Beach State match – 2 p.m.
No. 2 seed Hawai'i vs. winner of Penn State match against the winner of King / Ohio State – 4:30 p.m.
May 6 – Championship (TV: ESPN2) 2 p.m. PT
The NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship kicks off on Sunday, April 30 when Conference Carolinas champ King University (16-15) squares off with the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champ Ohio State (22-9), winners of 11 straight, in Opening Match 1.
On May 2, in Opening Matches 2 and 3, Penn State (26-3), which captured the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference title, will battle against the winner of the King / Ohio State contest. At-large teams from Grand Canyon (22-7) of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Long Beach State (20-4) of the Big West Conference will tangle in the other Opening Match.
The national semifinal matches will take place on May 4 and be streamed by ncaa.com. The top-seeded Bruins will play the winner of the Grand Canyon / Long Beach State match at 2 p.m. PT. No. 2 seed Hawai'i (28-2), the champion of the Big West Conference, meets the winner of the Penn State versus the King vs. Ohio State Opening Match 1 winner at 4:30 p.m. PT.
The NCAA Men's Collegiate National Championship match is set for a 2 p.m. PT start on Saturday May 6 and will be televised by ESPN2.
UCLA earned an at-large bid into last year's NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. It defeated Pepperdine in an Opening Match before losing to Long Beach State in the semifinal round. The Bruins also advanced to the semifinal round in the 2018 NCAA Championship before dropping a five-set decision to Long Beach. The Bruins have captured 19 titles overall in the sport, with the last coming after a 3-0 win over Penn State in 2006. UCLA has compiled a record of 7-2 in 2023 versus the teams in this year's championship field (1-0 v. Ohio State; 0-0 v. King, 2-0 v. Long Beach State, 3-0 v. Grand Canyon, 1-1 v. Penn State, 0-1 vs. Hawai'i).
The Bruins head into this year's tournament having won 10 straight matches and after finishing first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season race with a perfect 12-0 mark. It was the first season in which UCLA has compiled a perfect regular-season league record since the 1995 squad, which went on the win the national title that year, posted a 19-0 MPSF mark. On Saturday, UCLA captured the program's first MPSF Tournament title since 2006, another NCAA title year for the Bruins, in a three-set win at Stanford.
UCLA owns a 29-2 record this season under 11th-year head coach John Speraw who posted his 400th career win as a collegiate head coach earlier this year. Coach Speraw (UCLA Class of '95) won three NCAA titles as the head coach (2012, 2009, 2007) at UC Irvine. He also earned three titles as an assistant coach while at UCLA (1996, 1998, 2000) and two more as a player at UCLA (1993, 1995). UCLA now has won as many as 29 matches in a season for the first time since it went 29-5 on the way to winning the national championship in 2000 over Ohio State. The 3-0 win over Stanford for the MPSF Tournament title marked the 20th Bruin sweep of the season which is the most by a UCLA team since the 1998 squad, which also won the NCAA title, had 20 wins in straight sets.
After last season's 22-5 record, the Bruins have posted the first back-to-back 20-win seasons by the program since the 2012 and 2013 squads recorded 22 and 21 wins, respectively. The all-time school mark for wins in a season is 38 (1987 and 1984 seasons). The last time it won 30 matches in a season was during a 31-1 campaign in 1995 which produced an NCAA Championship with a win over Penn State and featured Coach Speraw as a player.
2023 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship
All matches played at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena
all times listed are Pacific Daylight Time
April 30 – Opening Round Match 1
King vs. Ohio State – 3 p.m. PT
May 2 – Opening Round Matches 2 & 3
Grand Canyon vs. Long Beach State – 2 p.m. PT
Penn State vs. King/Ohio State winner – 4:30 p.m. PT
May 4 – Semifinals (stream on ncaa.com)
No. 1 seed UCLA vs. winner of Grand Canyon / Long Beach State match – 2 p.m.
No. 2 seed Hawai'i vs. winner of Penn State match against the winner of King / Ohio State – 4:30 p.m.
May 6 – Championship (TV: ESPN2) 2 p.m. PT
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