Rama Earns AVCA Player of the Week Honors
January 20, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA men's volleyball senior outside hitter Zach Rama has been named the AVCA Men's National Collegiate Player of the Week, the AVCA announced on Tuesday morning.
This marks the first time that Rama has been named AVCA player of the week, and is his third honor of the 2026 season after being named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week the first two weeks of the season.
With Rama earning AVCA National Player of the Week, it marks the 29th time overall that a Bruin has earned the honor, and the first time in 2026. Prior to Rama, the most recent AVCA National Player of the Week honoree was Cooper Robinson for his play during the week of March 9, 2025.
Rama led the Bruins in total kills in two ranked wins over No. 16 Ball State and No. 6 Loyola Chicago at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend. He averaged 5.71 kills per set, added 1.29 digs per set, and averaged 5.86 points per set.
The Phoenix, Arizona native totaled 40 kills and hit .515 over the two matches. After tallying 17 kills in a four-set win over Ball State, Rama caught fire on Sunday, recording a career-high 23 kills in a straight-sets sweep of No. 6 Loyola Chicago. In the win over Loyola Chicago, Rama hit .618 on the night and totaled 23 points on his 23 kills.
UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Thursday to take on Fort Valley State. First serve is set for 7:00 pm PT, and the match will be broadcast on B1G+.
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This marks the first time that Rama has been named AVCA player of the week, and is his third honor of the 2026 season after being named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week the first two weeks of the season.
With Rama earning AVCA National Player of the Week, it marks the 29th time overall that a Bruin has earned the honor, and the first time in 2026. Prior to Rama, the most recent AVCA National Player of the Week honoree was Cooper Robinson for his play during the week of March 9, 2025.
Rama led the Bruins in total kills in two ranked wins over No. 16 Ball State and No. 6 Loyola Chicago at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend. He averaged 5.71 kills per set, added 1.29 digs per set, and averaged 5.86 points per set.
The Phoenix, Arizona native totaled 40 kills and hit .515 over the two matches. After tallying 17 kills in a four-set win over Ball State, Rama caught fire on Sunday, recording a career-high 23 kills in a straight-sets sweep of No. 6 Loyola Chicago. In the win over Loyola Chicago, Rama hit .618 on the night and totaled 23 points on his 23 kills.
UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Thursday to take on Fort Valley State. First serve is set for 7:00 pm PT, and the match will be broadcast on B1G+.
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Players Mentioned
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