No. 1 UCLA Plays at No. 3 Hawai'i Saturday Night

Saturday, March 14

Manoa, HI

10 pm PT (7 pm HT)

UCLA

No. 3 Hawai'i

No. 1 UCLA Plays at No. 3 Hawai'i Saturday Night

March 13, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Game Notes (PDF)

NO. 1 UCLA PLAYS AT HAWAI'I SATURDAY NIGHT
The UCLA men's volleyball program, winners of 21 NCAA titles, will play at No. 3 Hawai'i on Saturday evening to wrap up the OUTRIGGER Invitational. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

NCAAs RE-MATCH
The UCLA and Hawai'i men's volleyball programs have matched up a total of 97 times, with the Bruins holding a 66-31 record over the Rainbow Warriors. As for the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins and 'Bows have met three, twice in the Championship match, with UCLA winning both matchups in 1998 and 2023 respectively, and again the semifinals in 2025 which the Bruins also won.

TOOK DOWN THE TROJANS x 2
The UCLA men's volleyball program earned two wins over No. 5 USC last week. The first came at USC in a comeback win in five sets, 3-2, while the second came on the campus of UCLA in four sets, 3-1. With the two wins the Bruins improve to 16-0 for the first time since 1998.

LIVE LIKE BRAUN
The USC-UCLA series has pitted the two Southern California teams against each other 156 times. Last week, the rivalry becomes secondary as the teams join to bring awareness to the Live Like Braun Foundation. The foundation celebrates the enduring spirit and legacy of Braun Levi, a Loyola High School senior who was tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver. Several players on both sides of the net have deep connections with Levi and the Levi family, as former Loyola athletes, including UCLA assistant coach Alex Knight and UCLA student-athlete Sean Kelly.

AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK, SEAN KELLY
Sean Kelly was named AVCA National Player of the Week for the first time on Tuesday. The Manhattan Beach, California native totaled 38 kills and hit .438 over the two matches. Kelly tallied a career-high 21 kills in a five-set win over USC, while also adding seven digs, a solo block, and a solo block. He followed that performance with 17 kills, two aces, and six digs in a four-set win over USC inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial.

UCLA OUTLASTS UC IRVINE
The No. 1 UCLA men's volleyball program earned a comeback five-set win on Friday night, taking down No. 4 UC Irvine 3-2 in a non-conference match inside the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine. Set scores on Friday night were 25-22, 20-25, 28-30, 25-22, and 15-11. Three Bruins finished in double-figure kills on Friday evening as the Bruins won set one, lost the next two, and then won sets four and five. Zach Rama led the Bruins with 20 kills on the night, while Sean Kelly added a career-high 19 kills, and opposite David Decker added 12 kills.

SWEPT THE BEACH
UCLA took on No. 2 Long Beach State last Friday night, taking down the Beach 3-1. Senior Cameron Thorne led the way for UCLA, tallying 13 kills and six blocks on the night, while senior setter Andrew paced the Bruins to a .477 hitting percentage on the night in front of 4,800 fans. As for the away game, the Bruins won 3-2 in a reverse sweep in front of a crowd of over 4,000 in Long Beach. The Bruins dropped the opening two sets before winning the final three. Set scores were 16-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-10. Zach Rama led the Bruins with 21 kills, while setter Andrew Rowan dished out 45 assists and served an ace to end the fifth set and the match.

ONE'S TO WATCH
Senior outside hitter Zach Rama and senior setter Andrew Rowan have been named to the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List, the conference announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

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.
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.

HOT START
The UCLA men's volleyball program is off to a 17-0 start for the first time since 1984. The last time the Bruins opened a season at least 17-0 was back in 1984 when UCLA went 38-0 and won the National Championship. 2026 marks the first time in the rally scoring era that the Bruins are undefeated at least 17 games into a season.

ATOP THE CHARTS
The Bruins currently are in the top five in the nation in multiple categories to begin the 2026 season:

UCLA is second in kills per set at 13.73
The Bruins are second in hitting percentage at .394
UCLA is second in the country in assists per set at 13.07
Andrew Rowan is first in assists per set at 11.62
Zach Rama is fourth in kills per set at 4.05
UCLA is the only undefeated team left in the country after starting the season 17-0.

MAKING HISTORY
The UCLA men's volleyball team made history on Thursday night in their three set sweep of Ohio State. The Bruins won the second set 48-46, setting a new NCAA record for most points in a single set. The set featured a record 94 points, lasted 58 minutes, and featured 17 set points, with the Bruins coming out on top 48-46 courtesy of an Andrew Rowan service ace to end the set.

HAVE A WEEK, RAMA
Senior outside hitter Zach Rama was named the AVCA National Player of the week and the MPSF Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 20. 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.

SETTING THE TONE
Senior setter Andrew Rowan paced the Bruins offense to a .396 hitting percentage over the opening two months of the season. Rowan has tallied 697 assists over 17 matches so far in 2026, pacing at 11.61 assists per set. The senior has had at least 40 set assists in 10 of the 17 matches and had a season-high 59 set assists in a win at No. 5 USC on March 3.

MPSF OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
In addition to earning AVCA and MPSF player of the week honors in week two, Rama also earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week for week one and three. Rama led the Bruins in kills in two straight set wins over McKendree and Concordia, averaging 4.50 kills per set, totaling 27 kills, and hitting .420 over the two games. Rama led the way with 16 kills and hit .500 in UCLA's opening night win over McKendree. He then added 11 kills and hit .333 in UCLA's 3-0 sweep of CUI on Sunday. After another strong weekend where he tallied 21 kills against LBSU and added another 12 kills in the win at Vangaurd, totaling 33 kills on the weekend.

MIDDLE U
Middle Blocker's Cameron Thorne and Micah Wong Diallo have started the 2026 season strongly.

Thorne, a two-time AVCA first team All-American, recorded 13 kills on 16 swings (.688 hitting percentage) through the opening weekend, and has totaled 129 kills through the first 13 matches of the year, with a season-high 13 in UCLA's four set win over Long Beach State. Thorne is hitting .581 on the year.
Wong Diallo, in his first season as a starter as a junior, recorded 14 kills on 17 swings (.824 hitting percentage) throughout the opening weekend, and through his first 14 matches is hitting .511.

2025 IN REVIEW

The Bruins earned their third straight NCAA Championship final appearance and their fourth final four in a row
Cooper Robinson was named MPSF Player of the Year in his senior season
Four Bruins were named AVCA All-Americans
UCLA returns three All-Americans in setter Andrew Rowan (1st team), middle blocker Cameron Thorne (1st team), and outside hitter Zach Rama (2nd team)
UCLA finished the season 22-7 and 10-2 in MPSF play and finished top of the standings during the MPSF regular season for the fifth year in a row
The Bruins finished in the top five in the country in multiple categories during the 2025 season. UCLA was second in the country in hitting percentage at .364 and were fourth in the country in aces per set with 1.93.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season head coach John Hawks and rising sophomore Sean Kelly represented the United States at the U21 World Championships held in China. The trio of Bruin then earned bronze on the world stage, becoming the first USA youth national team to medal at a world championships.

SWEEPIN' BRUINS
UCLA has swept its opponents in 11 of the opening 17 matches of the 2026 season. Of those 10 sweeps, six have come against ranked opponents in No. 15 McKendree, No. 6 Loyola Chicago, No. 11 UC San Diego, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 CSUN, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, and No. 14 Lewis.

CAREER NIGHTS
Redshirt Junior Opposite David Decker and senior outside hitter Zach Rama had career nights on back-to-back nights at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona.
Decker supplied a career-high 22 kills in the four-set win over No. 14 Ball State on Friday night, hitting a sizzling .621, while also adding 3 block assists, 2 aces, and two digs.
Rama followed suit on the following night, with a career-high 23 kills in just three sets in the win over No. 6 Loyola Chicago. The senior hit .618 on the night.

THE BRUINS JUST WIN
UCLA enters the 2026 season having won at least 22 matches over each of the last four seasons. Throughout those four seasons UCLA has a record of 101-21 (.849 winning percentage), have won two NCAA titles, made three NCAA title matches, and won five MPSF titles.

TOP OF THE CLASS
UCLA enters the 2026 season having won 44 of their last 48 MPSF matches dating back to the 2022 season. UCLA's MPSF records over that timeframe are 10-2 in 2025, 11-1 in 2024, 12-0 in 2023, and 11-1 in 2022. The Bruins' winning percentage over that span is .917.

UCLA PICKED FIRST IN AVCA PRESEASON POLL
UCLA men's volleyball was ranked first in the Preseason AVCA Coaches Poll, earning 12 first-place votes. Hawai'i was picked second and received seven first place votes, while Long Beach State took third, Pepperdine fourth, and USC rounded out the top five.

BRUINS PICKED TO REPEAT AS MPSF CHAMPS
UCLA was picked to win a fifth-straight regular season conference title in the 2026 MPSF Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' poll, collecting 75 points and four of the 10 first-place votes. USC and Pepperdine finished tied for second in the preseason poll, while Stanford and BYU rounded out the top five in the standings.

BRU-CREW RETURNING
11 UCLA student-athletes return to Westwood following their 2025 NCAA title appearance campaign, and seven Bruins return boasting NCAA Championship-winning experience.

Andrew Rowan, Senior, Setter: Saw action in 27 matches ... AVCA first-team All-America selection ... MPSF first-team ... led the Bruin offense to a .364 hitting percentage, which was the second best nationally … his 10.08 assists per set mark was tops in the MPSF and 13th nationally … Directed the Bruins offense to a hitting percentage of .300 or better 25 times, and .400 or better 11 times … paced the Bruins offense to a season-high .535 hitting percentage in a four set win at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 28 … Had 33 aces on the year, good for second on the team … Had at least one kill in 21 matches, and had a season-high five kills against BYU on April 12 … Had multiple aces in six different matches and tallied a season-high three aces in both matches against BYU and in UCLA's five set win at home over USC on April 17 … Had 30 or more assists in 23 matches, had 40 or more assists in 12 matches, and had 50 or more assists on two occasions … In UCLA's five-set win over BYU on April 11, had a season-high 44 assists … Had 109 digs on the year with a season-high 10 at Pepperdine on March 29.
Zach Rama, Senior, Outside Hitter: Earned second team AVCA All-America honors … Named first team MPSF All-Conference honors … Saw action in 27 matches and made 27 starts … Played at both outside hitter and opposite throughout the year … Tallied the second most kills on the squad with 319 kills and hit .318 on the year … Added 99 digs, 32 service aces, and 60 blocks (5 solo blocks, 55 block assists) on the year … Recorded double-digit kills in 20 of 27 appearances throughout the season … Had seven matches with 15 or more kills … Recorded a season-high 21 kills in UCLA's four-set match against Ohio State on Jan. 18 … Had a 10-match streak of double-digit kills dating from April 4 to May 10 when UCLA took down Hawai'i in the NCAA semifinal match … Had a season-high five service aces in UCLA's four-set win over UC San Diego on Jan. 23 … Recorded 12 kills and a season-high five blocks in UCLA's four set win over BYU on April 12.
Cameron Thorne, Senior, Middle Blocker: Saw action in 28 matches … Ryan Millar Award Winner … Dain Blanton Diversity Award Winner … AVCA First Team All-America selection … MPSF first-team honoree … AVCA Player of the Week (week of Feb. 24, 2025) … Hit .521 on the season with 201 kills and 303 attack attempts (43 errors) … His .521 hitting percentage ranks fifth all-time in single-season hitting percentage … Tallied double-digit kills on six occasions … Had a career-high 17 kills in UCLA's five set win over No. 3 UC Irvine in Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 22 … Also added 15 sets in the match at UCI Irvine three nights earlier on Feb. 19 in a three-set win over the Anteaters … Defensively tallied a team-high 103 blocks, and 13 solo blocks … His 1.06 blocks per set ranks 10th nationally … Had at least four total blocks or more 16 times … Recorded a career-high seven block assists twice during the 2025 season; at CSUN (Jan. 24) and against Stanford (March 7).
Sean Kelly, Sophomore, Outside Hitter: Played in 24 matches, making 14 starts in 2025 … Earned MPSF honorable mention and all-freshman team honors … Recorded 142 kills on 316 swings to hit .323 on the season … His hitting percentage of .323 put him 27th nationally for the year … Recorded 17 service aces, 35 total blocks (two solo blocks, 33 block assists) and 67 digs … Recorded double digit kills in nine matches, and had a season-high 13 kills three times in 2025, including in the NCAA Semifinal three set win over Hawai'i … Had 13 kills in UCLA's five-set win over USC on April 17 … Hit a season-high .615 and had eight kills in UCLA's three set win over Pepperdine on March 27 … Recorded 17 service aces on the year, and had a season-high three service aces against Pepperdine in the MPSF semifinals on April 25 … Recorded 67 digs on the year and had a season-high eight digs twice, at GCU on April 5, and vs. Hawai'i on May 10 in the NCAA semifinal … Recorded 35 blocks on the year (two solo blocks, 33 block assists) and had a season-high four block assists in the Bruins five-set win over BYU on April 11.