Thursday, April 11
TBA
7:00 PM
UCLA
at
Concordia University Irvine
MVB Closes Out Regular Season Against CUI
April 09, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
Bruins Close Out Regular Season Against CUI — Second-ranked UCLA (20-4, 9-1), which has won nine straight matches and holds sole possession of first-place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), concludes the regular season with contests on Thursday at Concordia-Irvine and on Saturday in Pauley Pavilion versus the Golden Eagles (0-10, 6-16). UCLA will honor the Seniors at Saturday's contest. The Bruins have won their last 17 home regular-season MPSF matches dating back to an Apr. 9, 2021 loss to BYU. UCLA needs one more win or one more GCU loss this week to clinch the regular season MPSF title and No. 1 seed into the league tournament.
• First Serve at Concordia-Irvine (Thu. Apr. 11): 7 p.m. PT
Video: CUI stream https://www.team1sports.com/college/?S=cuigoldeneagles
Live Stats: https://cuigoldeneagles.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
• First Serve vs. Concordia-Irvine (Sat. Apr. 13): 7 p.m. PT
Video: Pac-12 Network (Nick Koop) https://pac-12.com/live?networks=P12LAX
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=498666
UCLA is pursuing a third straight regular-season MPSF crown and next week heads to the MPSF Tournament (at USC) which will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship tournament. The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach. The eight-team NCAA bracket will be announced on ncaa.com on Sunday April 21. NCAA Quarterfinal matches begin at Long Beach State on Apr. 30 with all eight teams in action.
With the home win over top-ranked Long Beach earlier this season, UCLA has defeated the AVCA's No. 1-ranked team in each of the last four seasons -- 2024: Feb. 10 Long Beach (3-1 at home); 2023: March 6 Hawai'i (3-1) in Fairfax, Va.; 2022: Feb. 19 vs. Long Beach (3-2) at home; 2021: Feb. 4 at BYU (3-1).
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA was voted No. 2 in this week's AVCA coaches poll and in the Off the Block media listing. After starting out 2024 as the top-ranked team in the AVCA pre-season poll and first two listings of the regular season, the Bruins have now been ranked as high as No. 2 in the poll at some point in seven of the last eight seasons (not in 2021) ... The Bruins have risen as high as No. 1 in the AVCA poll in five seasons under John Speraw -- 2024,2023, 2022, 2016, 2014 ... UCLA has ended a season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll a record 10 times (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995,1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023) over the years.
Ranking Notes — UCLA began the week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.367), aces/set (4th-1.96), set assists (5th-11.98), kills/s (6th-12.74) and blocks/s (7th-2.49) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 11 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UC Irvine-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 10 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU) ... Two Bruins rate among the nation's top 10 to begin the week -- Andrew Rowan is 8th in set assists/set (10.15) and Ido David is T16th in aces/set (0.43) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 17th in blocking (0.97) ... After recording a block solo in this year's home match against Long Beach, McHenry moved past Garrett Muagututia (2007-10, 44), and has risen to the top of the school list for career block solos (currently has 47) ... the Bruins have recently climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.367) this season and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
Player Notes — UCLA leads the MPSF in service aces/set (1.96) and has four players ranked among the top 10 servers in the league -- Ido David-4th (0.43), Cooper Robinson-7th (0.38), Andrew Rowan-8th (0.37), Merrick McHenry-9th (0.34) ... McHenry, who leads the MPSF in attack % (.562), has hit at least .400 in each of the last 21 matches and has four attack errors over the last 8 matches (83 swings) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 12 double-digit kill matches this season ... Robinson has double-digit points in 9 of the last 13 matches and at least one ace in 11 of last 13 matches (total of 21) ... Rowan, who was named Off the Block's National Setter of the Week after guiding the Bruins to a .350 attack percentage against GCU last week, has multiple aces in 11 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 13 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in each of the last 8 matches ... Sean McQuiggan has started at middle blocker in 10 of the last 11 matches ... Zach Rama has double-digit points in 4 of last 9 matches he has played in.
MPSF —The Bruins own a current 17-match regular-season home MPSF match win streak ... UCLA had a 21-match MPSF regular-season win streak snapped at BYU earlier this season. UCLA finished atop the 2023 MPSF standings with a 12-0 record last season and was picked to repeat by the coaches ... the '24 Pre-season MPSF coaches poll: 1-UCLA, 2-Stanford, T3-BYU, T3-GCU, 5-USC, 6-Pepperdine, 7-CUI ... FloSports (pay service) will provide live streaming coverage of this year's MPSF Championship Tournament (at USC). This year's NCAA tournament will feature eight teams with two at-large bids and six spots going to conference tournament winners. Quarterfinal action begins on April 30 at Long Beach State with all eight teams in action on day one.
MPSF Standings
UCLA 9-1
Grand Canyon 8-2
BYU 7-5
Pepperdine 5-5
Stanford 4-6
USC 3-7
CUI 0-10
Team Notes — With last weekend's wins over GCU, UCLA now has put together three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6), 2004 (24-6) ... After last season's 31-2 season, and 2022's 22-5 record, the Bruins (20-4) have a chance to record their first three-straight season streak of five losses or less since the 1998 (28-4), 1997 (24-5) and 1996 (26-5) campaigns. UCLA's nine-match win streak is its longest since winning the final 12 matches of 2023. This post-season, the Bruins will be trying to replicate what the previous five NCAA men's volleyball championship teams have done and that is win back-to-back titles -- UCLA 2023, Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, (covid year), Long Beach 2019 & 2018, Ohio St. 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
• First Serve at Concordia-Irvine (Thu. Apr. 11): 7 p.m. PT
Video: CUI stream https://www.team1sports.com/college/?S=cuigoldeneagles
Live Stats: https://cuigoldeneagles.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
• First Serve vs. Concordia-Irvine (Sat. Apr. 13): 7 p.m. PT
Video: Pac-12 Network (Nick Koop) https://pac-12.com/live?networks=P12LAX
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=498666
UCLA is pursuing a third straight regular-season MPSF crown and next week heads to the MPSF Tournament (at USC) which will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship tournament. The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach. The eight-team NCAA bracket will be announced on ncaa.com on Sunday April 21. NCAA Quarterfinal matches begin at Long Beach State on Apr. 30 with all eight teams in action.
With the home win over top-ranked Long Beach earlier this season, UCLA has defeated the AVCA's No. 1-ranked team in each of the last four seasons -- 2024: Feb. 10 Long Beach (3-1 at home); 2023: March 6 Hawai'i (3-1) in Fairfax, Va.; 2022: Feb. 19 vs. Long Beach (3-2) at home; 2021: Feb. 4 at BYU (3-1).
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA was voted No. 2 in this week's AVCA coaches poll and in the Off the Block media listing. After starting out 2024 as the top-ranked team in the AVCA pre-season poll and first two listings of the regular season, the Bruins have now been ranked as high as No. 2 in the poll at some point in seven of the last eight seasons (not in 2021) ... The Bruins have risen as high as No. 1 in the AVCA poll in five seasons under John Speraw -- 2024,2023, 2022, 2016, 2014 ... UCLA has ended a season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll a record 10 times (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995,1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023) over the years.
Ranking Notes — UCLA began the week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.367), aces/set (4th-1.96), set assists (5th-11.98), kills/s (6th-12.74) and blocks/s (7th-2.49) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 11 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UC Irvine-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 10 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU) ... Two Bruins rate among the nation's top 10 to begin the week -- Andrew Rowan is 8th in set assists/set (10.15) and Ido David is T16th in aces/set (0.43) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 17th in blocking (0.97) ... After recording a block solo in this year's home match against Long Beach, McHenry moved past Garrett Muagututia (2007-10, 44), and has risen to the top of the school list for career block solos (currently has 47) ... the Bruins have recently climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.367) this season and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
Player Notes — UCLA leads the MPSF in service aces/set (1.96) and has four players ranked among the top 10 servers in the league -- Ido David-4th (0.43), Cooper Robinson-7th (0.38), Andrew Rowan-8th (0.37), Merrick McHenry-9th (0.34) ... McHenry, who leads the MPSF in attack % (.562), has hit at least .400 in each of the last 21 matches and has four attack errors over the last 8 matches (83 swings) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 12 double-digit kill matches this season ... Robinson has double-digit points in 9 of the last 13 matches and at least one ace in 11 of last 13 matches (total of 21) ... Rowan, who was named Off the Block's National Setter of the Week after guiding the Bruins to a .350 attack percentage against GCU last week, has multiple aces in 11 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 13 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in each of the last 8 matches ... Sean McQuiggan has started at middle blocker in 10 of the last 11 matches ... Zach Rama has double-digit points in 4 of last 9 matches he has played in.
MPSF —The Bruins own a current 17-match regular-season home MPSF match win streak ... UCLA had a 21-match MPSF regular-season win streak snapped at BYU earlier this season. UCLA finished atop the 2023 MPSF standings with a 12-0 record last season and was picked to repeat by the coaches ... the '24 Pre-season MPSF coaches poll: 1-UCLA, 2-Stanford, T3-BYU, T3-GCU, 5-USC, 6-Pepperdine, 7-CUI ... FloSports (pay service) will provide live streaming coverage of this year's MPSF Championship Tournament (at USC). This year's NCAA tournament will feature eight teams with two at-large bids and six spots going to conference tournament winners. Quarterfinal action begins on April 30 at Long Beach State with all eight teams in action on day one.
MPSF Standings
UCLA 9-1
Grand Canyon 8-2
BYU 7-5
Pepperdine 5-5
Stanford 4-6
USC 3-7
CUI 0-10
Team Notes — With last weekend's wins over GCU, UCLA now has put together three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6), 2004 (24-6) ... After last season's 31-2 season, and 2022's 22-5 record, the Bruins (20-4) have a chance to record their first three-straight season streak of five losses or less since the 1998 (28-4), 1997 (24-5) and 1996 (26-5) campaigns. UCLA's nine-match win streak is its longest since winning the final 12 matches of 2023. This post-season, the Bruins will be trying to replicate what the previous five NCAA men's volleyball championship teams have done and that is win back-to-back titles -- UCLA 2023, Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, (covid year), Long Beach 2019 & 2018, Ohio St. 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballS
/ Men's Volleyball
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