Photo by: UCLA Athletics
MVB Receives At-Large Bid to NCAA Championship
April 21, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
The UCLA men's volleyball squad earned an at-large bid and was named the No. 1 seed into the eight-team 2024 NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship, which will he hosted by Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid from April 30-May 4. The Bruins, the regular season champions of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), own a 23-5 record and are making the program's 30th appearance in the NCAA championship tournament. UCLA will begin the quest for the program's 21st NCAA men's volleyball title in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, April 30 against No. 8 seed Fort Valley State (13-7), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) regular season and tournament champions, at 11 a.m. PT which will be streamed by ncaa.com.
In other NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship quarterfinal matches on April 30, Big West Conference at-large team UC Irvine (19-10), the No. 4 seed, will battle No. 5 seed Penn State (23-6) the champions of the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIVA) at 1:30 p.m. In the evening session, No. 2 seed and Big West Conference champion Long Beach State (25-2) will meet the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament champ Belmont Abbey (21-4) at 5 p.m. The Beach own a perfect 17-0 record at home this season. In the nightcap, No. 3 seed Grand Canyon (25-4), the MPSF tournament champs, will challenge No. 6 seed Ohio State (22-8), the winners of the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) tournament.
The national semifinals will take place on May 2, with the early session winners from Tuesday squaring off at 3:30 p.m PT. The evening session winners will meet in the second semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ncaa.com. The Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. and televised on ESPN2.
This marks the third straight season in which the Bruins have received a bid to the NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship. Last season, the Bruins won the MPSF Tournament to secure the league's automatic bid and went on to capture NCAA men's volleyball title No. 20 in Fairfax, Va. in a four-set win over two-time defending champ Hawai'i. In 2022, UCLA earned an at-large bid after losing in the MPSF tournament semifinals. The Bruins defeated Pepperdine in an NCAA Opening Match before losing to Long Beach State in the semifinal round.
This season, UCLA has compiled a record of 9-3 versus the tournament field --- 1-0 vs. Fort Valley State (won 3-0 at UCLA on Jan. 4), 1-1 vs. Ohio State (lost 2-3 in Austin,Tx. on Jan. 19 and won 3-0 at UCLA on Mar. 10), 2-0 vs. UC Irvine (won 3-2 at UCI on Jan. 31 and won 3-1 at UCLA on Feb. 2), 1-1 vs. Long Beach State (lost 1-3 at Long Beach on Feb. 9 and won 3-1 at UCLA on Feb. 10), 2-0 vs. Penn State (won 3-0 in Austin, Tx. on Jan. 20 and won 3-2 on Mar. 8 in Los Angeles), 2-1 vs. Grand Canyon (won 3-0 on Apr. 5 at UCLA and 3-2 on Apr. 6 at UCLA; lost 2-3 in Los Angeles on Apr. 20).
The Bruins head into this year's national tournament having won 12 of their last 13 matches after finishing first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season race with an 11-1 mark. UCLA owns a 23-5 overall record this season under 12th-year head coach John Speraw. Coach Speraw (UCLA Class of '95) won his first NCAA title as UCLA head coach last season to go with three NCAA titles he brought home 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 men's volleyball player at UCLA (1993, 1995).
UCLA has put together three-straight 20-win seasons for the first time since doing so in 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6) and 2004 (24-6). This post-season, the Bruins will be aiming to replicate what the previous five NCAA men's volleyball championship teams have accomplished and that is win back-to-back titles --- Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, 2020 (pandemic), Long Beach State 2019 & 2018, Ohio State 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
The Bruins are leading the nation in attack percentage for the third straight season with MPSF Player of the Year, Merrick McHenry leading the way. McHenry is on track to finish his Bruin career this season as the first player to record a plus .500 hitting percentage in the rally scoring era (dating to 2001). Ethan Champlin, who leads the team in kills and digs, and setter Andrew Rowan joined McHenry on the 2024 first-team All-MPSF team.
2024 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship
All matches played at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid
all times listed are Pacific Daylight Time
April 30 – Quarterfinals (stream on ncaa.com)
No. 1 seed UCLA vs. No. 8 seed Fort Valley State – 11 a.m. PT
No. 4 seed UC Irvine vs. No. 5 seed Penn State - 1:30 p.m. PT
No. 2 seed Long Beach vs. No. 7 seed Belmont Abbey - 5 p.m. PT
No. 3 seed Grand Canyon vs. No. 6 seed Ohio State - 7:30 p.m. PT
May 2 – Semifinal Matches (stream on ncaa.com)
Semifinal 1 – 3:30 p.m. PT
Semifinal 2 – 6:30 p.m. PT
May 4 – National Championship (TV: ESPN2)
Championship - 2 p.m.
In other NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship quarterfinal matches on April 30, Big West Conference at-large team UC Irvine (19-10), the No. 4 seed, will battle No. 5 seed Penn State (23-6) the champions of the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIVA) at 1:30 p.m. In the evening session, No. 2 seed and Big West Conference champion Long Beach State (25-2) will meet the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament champ Belmont Abbey (21-4) at 5 p.m. The Beach own a perfect 17-0 record at home this season. In the nightcap, No. 3 seed Grand Canyon (25-4), the MPSF tournament champs, will challenge No. 6 seed Ohio State (22-8), the winners of the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) tournament.
The national semifinals will take place on May 2, with the early session winners from Tuesday squaring off at 3:30 p.m PT. The evening session winners will meet in the second semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ncaa.com. The Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. and televised on ESPN2.
This marks the third straight season in which the Bruins have received a bid to the NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship. Last season, the Bruins won the MPSF Tournament to secure the league's automatic bid and went on to capture NCAA men's volleyball title No. 20 in Fairfax, Va. in a four-set win over two-time defending champ Hawai'i. In 2022, UCLA earned an at-large bid after losing in the MPSF tournament semifinals. The Bruins defeated Pepperdine in an NCAA Opening Match before losing to Long Beach State in the semifinal round.
This season, UCLA has compiled a record of 9-3 versus the tournament field --- 1-0 vs. Fort Valley State (won 3-0 at UCLA on Jan. 4), 1-1 vs. Ohio State (lost 2-3 in Austin,Tx. on Jan. 19 and won 3-0 at UCLA on Mar. 10), 2-0 vs. UC Irvine (won 3-2 at UCI on Jan. 31 and won 3-1 at UCLA on Feb. 2), 1-1 vs. Long Beach State (lost 1-3 at Long Beach on Feb. 9 and won 3-1 at UCLA on Feb. 10), 2-0 vs. Penn State (won 3-0 in Austin, Tx. on Jan. 20 and won 3-2 on Mar. 8 in Los Angeles), 2-1 vs. Grand Canyon (won 3-0 on Apr. 5 at UCLA and 3-2 on Apr. 6 at UCLA; lost 2-3 in Los Angeles on Apr. 20).
The Bruins head into this year's national tournament having won 12 of their last 13 matches after finishing first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season race with an 11-1 mark. UCLA owns a 23-5 overall record this season under 12th-year head coach John Speraw. Coach Speraw (UCLA Class of '95) won his first NCAA title as UCLA head coach last season to go with three NCAA titles he brought home 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 men's volleyball player at UCLA (1993, 1995).
UCLA has put together three-straight 20-win seasons for the first time since doing so in 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6) and 2004 (24-6). This post-season, the Bruins will be aiming to replicate what the previous five NCAA men's volleyball championship teams have accomplished and that is win back-to-back titles --- Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, 2020 (pandemic), Long Beach State 2019 & 2018, Ohio State 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
The Bruins are leading the nation in attack percentage for the third straight season with MPSF Player of the Year, Merrick McHenry leading the way. McHenry is on track to finish his Bruin career this season as the first player to record a plus .500 hitting percentage in the rally scoring era (dating to 2001). Ethan Champlin, who leads the team in kills and digs, and setter Andrew Rowan joined McHenry on the 2024 first-team All-MPSF team.
2024 NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship
All matches played at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid
all times listed are Pacific Daylight Time
April 30 – Quarterfinals (stream on ncaa.com)
No. 1 seed UCLA vs. No. 8 seed Fort Valley State – 11 a.m. PT
No. 4 seed UC Irvine vs. No. 5 seed Penn State - 1:30 p.m. PT
No. 2 seed Long Beach vs. No. 7 seed Belmont Abbey - 5 p.m. PT
No. 3 seed Grand Canyon vs. No. 6 seed Ohio State - 7:30 p.m. PT
May 2 – Semifinal Matches (stream on ncaa.com)
Semifinal 1 – 3:30 p.m. PT
Semifinal 2 – 6:30 p.m. PT
May 4 – National Championship (TV: ESPN2)
Championship - 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
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