The UCLA men’s volleyball team, which has secured 21 NCAA titles, is set to host Fort Valley State on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. The match will begin at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Following this home game, the Bruins will travel to face No. 11 UC San Diego on Friday, also at 7 p.m.
Senior outside hitter Zach Rama received recognition as both the AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after leading UCLA in kills during recent victories over ranked opponents Ball State and Loyola Chicago at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona. “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,” according to a statement from UCLA Athletics. He averaged nearly six kills per set across those matches and recorded a career-high 23 kills against Loyola Chicago.
Rama was also named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week for his performances during week one of competition. In straight-set wins over McKendree and Concordia, he averaged 4.5 kills per set with a .420 hitting percentage.
Senior setter Andrew Rowan has directed UCLA’s offense to a .494 hitting percentage through four matches so far this season, tallying 173 assists and averaging more than 13 assists per set.
To start the season, UCLA leads all teams nationally in several statistical categories: first in kills per set (15.54), hitting percentage (.494), and assists per set (14.85).
Middle blockers Cameron Thorne and Micah Wong Diallo have made strong starts as well; Wong Diallo is hitting .655 with 21 kills on limited attempts through four matches, while Thorne has accumulated 30 kills and posted a season-high ten against Ball State.
Reviewing last season, UCLA reached its third consecutive NCAA Championship final appearance and fourth Final Four in a row. Cooper Robinson earned MPSF Player of the Year honors as a senior; four players were named AVCA All-Americans; three—Rowan, Thorne, and Rama—return for this campaign.
UCLA finished last year with a record of 22-7 overall (10-2 in conference play) and topped regular-season conference standings for the fifth straight year. At season’s end, head coach John Hawks along with player Sean Kelly represented Team USA at the U21 World Championships held in China; they helped secure bronze—the first such medal for a USA youth national team at world championships.
Entering this season, UCLA has won at least 22 matches each year for four seasons running—a span that includes two NCAA titles out of three championship match appearances along with five MPSF titles since 2022.
Since that time frame began, UCLA has compiled an MPSF record of 44 wins against just four losses across regular seasons—a winning rate exceeding ninety percent—with yearly records including undefeated play in conference action during one campaign.
Preseason polls place high expectations on UCLA once again: The team was ranked first nationally by coaches’ poll voters ahead of Hawai’i and Long Beach State—and was picked by league coaches to repeat as conference champions for what would be their fifth-straight title run.
This year’s roster returns eleven student-athletes from last year’s squad—including seven with prior NCAA Championship experience—and features several incoming freshmen who achieved honors such as high school All-American designations or international youth medals before arriving at Westwood.
Key returnees include setter Andrew Rowan (AVCA first-team All-America selection), outside hitter Zach Rama (second-team All-America), middle blocker Cameron Thorne (first-team All-America), sophomore Sean Kelly (MPSF honorable mention/all-freshman team), among others—all expected to play significant roles as UCLA opens its new campaign.
