The UCLA men’s volleyball team continued its strong start to the 2026 season with a straight-sets victory over Loyola Chicago on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona. The Bruins, ranked No. 1 nationally, defeated the No. 6 Ramblers with set scores of 25-23, 25-19, and 26-24.
Senior Zach Rama led UCLA (4-0, 1-0 MPSF) with a career-high 23 kills and a .618 hitting percentage. He also contributed five digs during the match. Setter Andrew Rowan recorded 44 assists as the Bruins hit .506 as a team. On defense, David Decker and Sean Kelly each tallied seven digs.
For Loyola Chicago (2-2, 0-0 MIVA), Aleksander Sosa was the top performer with 11 kills on 30 attempts.
The opening set saw UCLA take an early lead before Loyola tied it at 7-7 and later went ahead. The Bruins responded with key plays from Kelly and Rama to regain control. Rama finished the first set with his eighth kill for a 25-23 win.
In the second set, Cameron Thorne helped UCLA establish an early advantage that forced a timeout from Loyola. The Ramblers narrowed the gap but could not overtake the Bruins, who extended their lead through contributions from Decker and Kelly. Rama’s consistent attacking helped secure a second-set win at 25-19.
The third set remained close until late points by Kelly and Decker gave UCLA a slight edge. After Loyola tied it at 23-all, Rama delivered two more kills to close out both the set (26-24) and match.
UCLA will return home to face Fort Valley State at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday at 7:00 pm PT. The match will be broadcast on B1G+.
