MVB Topples Trojans in Four

Saturday, March 2

Los Angeles, CA

5:00 PM

UCLA

14-4,5-1MPSF

USC

10-8,2-4MPSF

Southern California

UCLA

Photo by: Lillie Yazdi

MVB Topples Trojans in Four

March 02, 2024 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The No. 4 UCLA men's volleyball team (14-4, 5-1) hit at a .382 clip while taking down No. 11 USC (10-8, 2-4) in four sets in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) match played before almost 5,000 fans on Saturday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Scores were 26-24, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21. The victory marked UCLA's eighth straight win over the Trojans and came on a night when members of the 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 Bruin Men's Volleyball NCAA Championship teams were in attendance.

Zach Rama and Grant Sloane led the Bruin attack with 16 and 13 kills, respectively. Rama hit at a .480 mark while Sloane recorded a .391 attack percentage. Andrew Rowan handed out 48 set assists. Merrick McHenry topped UCLA with three aces and registered his 15th straight match hitting over .400 by going a perfect 7 for 7 on attacks. Libero Matthew Aziz added a match-high 9 digs.

A McHenry service run which included his first ace of the night helped the Bruins move out to an 8-5 lead to start set one. Sloane's ace made it 11-7. Ethan Champlin's swing extended the gap to 14-9. USC cut the margin to 16-13 following a service error by the Bruins. The Trojans then pulled within two after a UCLA attack error at 19-17. A couple of kills by Sean McQuiggan made it 20-17 and then 22-20, but the Trojans were able to rally and level the score at 23-all. Cooper Robinson's spike gave UCLA a first look at set point, at 24-23, but a service error followed. Sloane's swing produced a second set point opportunity, at 25-24, and Sloane/McQuiggan teamed up on a block for the win at 26-24.

USC broke a 7-all tie with three straight points on a block, an ace and a kill in set two. A Rama kill made it 9-12. The USC block remained strong and the Trojans went up 10-16. Another Rama kill sliced the deficit to 15-18, but the Trojans answered with a run for a 16-22 advantage. A Trojan error and kills by Ido David and Rama pulled the Bruins to within one at 23-24. However, the Bruins' 11^th attack error of the frame ended the set at 23-25. The Bruins managed just a .033 attack percentage.

A Sloane kill produced a 7-3 lead for the Bruins in set three. Rama swings upped the margin to 12-7 and then to 17-10. USC narrowed the gap to 19-15 with a flurry of kills. A service error and another Rama kill made it 21-15. McHenry fired an ace for a 23-16 lead. Luca Curci finished off the set with a kill for a 25-17 win. The Bruins hit .588 for the frame.

McHenry floated through the air for a kill to put UCLA up 8-6 in set four. However, the Trojans came back to go up 9-10. Three Sloane kills evened the score at 11, 13 and 14-all. Kills by Champlin and Guy Genis were followed by a pair of blocks by Genis/Rama to elevate the Bruins into a 18-15 advantage. Behind Sloane's serve, the Bruin run continued with another Genis spike and a Genis/Rowan block for a 20-15 edge. USC answered with two straight to close to 20-17. The teams then traded errors and Rama delivered a kill from the back row for a 22-19 lead. Sloane's 13th kill of the night pushed the Bruins to set point at 24-20. Rama ended the match with another back row attack for a 25-21 win.