Rama, Rowan Named to AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List

LOS ANGELES – Senior outside hitter Zach Rama and senior setter Andrew Rowan have both been named to the inaugural AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Player of the Year award watchlist, the AVCA announced on Wednesday.

Rama, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz., has started the 2026 season strongly for the Bruins. Over the course of seven matches, Rama has tallied 105 kills, is hitting .438 on the year, and has had double-digit kills in six of the seven matches he has participated in. The senior currently leads the nation in kills per ser at 4.77, is fourth in points per set at 5.16, and is 10th nationally in hitting percentage at .438. For his career, Rama earned AVCA second-team All-American honors in 2025, was tabbed as an MPSF first-team selection in 2025, and earned MPSF All-Freshman team honors in 2025.

Rowan, a senior from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., is no stranger to AVCA accolades. The senior setter is already a three-time AVCA first-team All-American and a three-time MPSF first-team selection. He has paced the Bruins to a nation-leading .460 hitting percentage, and has tallied 318 assists in 2026. Rowan leads the nation in assists per set at 12.72, and is also fifth in aces per set at .720. Rowan, who also spent time with the full USA men's national team this summer at the 2026 VNL, has dished out at least 40 assists in five of his eight appearances in 2026.

The 2026 watch list includes 15 players from 11 different schools.

Full AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List:
Ryan Barnett                   Pepperdine        OH         RS-Sr.
Daniel Fabikovic              Loyola Chicago OH         Jr.
Nathan Flayter               McKendree        S            Jr.
Cole Hartke                      Pepperdine        OH/RS So.
Andrej Jokanovic             UC Irvine            OH         Fr.
Dillon Klein                       USC                     OH         Sr
Oguzhan Oguz                 Lewis                  RS          Sr.
Jalen Phillips                    CSUN                  RS          RS-Jr.
Zach Rama                       UCLA                   OH         Sr.
Patrick Rogers                 Ball State            OH         Sr.
Tread Rosenthal              Hawai'i               S            Jr.
Adrien Roure                   Hawai'i               OH         So.
Andrew Rowan               UCLA                   S            Sr.
Aleksandar Sosa              Loyola Chicago RS          Jr.
Skyler Varga                    Long Beach St.   OH         Sr.

UCLA is back in action on Friday night, when the Bruins travel to Long Beach, Calif., to take on No. 2 Long Beach State in a rematch of the 2025 National Championship match at 7 pm PT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

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Rama, Rowan Named to AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List

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Rama, Rowan Named to AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List

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