No. 1 UCLA Sweeps Vanguard, 3-0

Saturday, February 7

Costa Mesa, CA

7:00 pm (PT)

UCLA

10-0,3-0MPSF

Vanguard

3-6,0-3MPSF

UCLA

Vanguard

No. 1 UCLA Sweeps Vanguard, 3-0

February 07, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

COSTA MESA, Calif. – The No. 1 UCLA men's volleyball program earned a three-set sweep of Vanguard University on Saturday evening. With the win, the Bruins improve to 10-0 on the year and 3-0 in MPSF Conference play.

The Bruins hit .421 on the night, as David Decker and Zach Rama both finished with double-digit kills. UCLA tallied nine total blocks, as Kelly recorded six block assists to lead the Bruin defense.

UCLA also limited Vanguard to a .143 hitting percentage on the night, and libero Chris Connelly recorded a team-high seven digs.

After taking down No. 2 Long Beach State on Friday, and Vanguard on Saturday, UCLA improved to 10-0 on the year. The last time the Bruins started 10-0 to begin the year was in 2023.

In the first set, the Bruins opened up a 6-3 advantage when Rowan and Hersh combined for a block.

UCLA then recorded back-to-back blocks to make it 18-14 in favor of the Bruins. Thorne recorded a solo block, followed by a block by Hersh and Kelly, putting the Bruins up four.

Kelly served up an ace, UCLA's first of the set, to push the Bruins up by six, 23-17. UCLA then took the set, 25-18 courtesy of Decker kill, his sixth of the opening set.

As for the second set, UCLA opened up an 8-5 lead when Hersh tallied a service ace.

Vanguard reposed and took a 10-9 lead, before the Bruins earned seven of the next 10 points to take a 16-13 lead when Kelly provided another ace.

In the final set, the Bruins brought in Jaidin Russell at middle blocker, and he immediately hammered home a kill to put the Bruins on the board.

Kelly added his 11th and 12th kills on the night to make it a 9-7 Bruin lead. The Lions responded and took the next three points, to edge in front, 10-9.

The Bruins rattled off points in a row to take a 16-13 lead. A kill from Russell, followed by a triple block by Russell, Rama and Decker pushed the Bruins in front by two, before Rowan added an ace to complete the run.

Trent Taliaferro, Grayson Bradford, Luca Curci, and Spencer Graves all subbed in midway through the set, and Taliaferro found Bradford to give UCLA a 21-15 lead in the third.

Bradford hammered home an overpass to make it 24-16 in the third set. Two points later a service error from Vanguard gave the set 25-17, and the match, 3-0.

Up Next: UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Friday, February 13. First serve is set for 7 pm PT, and the match will be broadcast on B1G+.