The UCLA men’s volleyball team, which has won 21 NCAA titles, is set to play two matches this week. The Bruins will face No. 2 Long Beach State on Friday at 7 p.m. PT, with the match available on ESPN+. On Saturday, they will play Vanguard in an MPSF matchup at 7 p.m. PT, broadcast on B1G+.
Senior outside hitter Zach Rama and senior setter Andrew Rowan have been named to the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List. Rama has started the season strongly for UCLA, recording 105 kills over seven matches and achieving double-digit kills in six of those contests. He leads the nation in kills per set at 4.77 and ranks fourth in points per set at 5.16.
Rowan, a three-time AVCA first-team All-American and three-time MPSF first-team selection, has led UCLA to a .460 hitting percentage so far this season and has tallied 318 assists in 2026. He leads the nation in assists per set at 12.72.
On Thursday night, UCLA made history by winning a second set against Ohio State with a score of 48-46, setting a new NCAA record for most points in a single set.
Rama was also named AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after leading UCLA to victories over Ball State and Loyola Chicago at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona. In these matches, he averaged 5.71 kills per set and hit .515 overall.
Additionally, Rama earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against McKendree and Concordia last week.
Rowan has consistently contributed high assist numbers throughout the opening month of play, including a season-high 58 assists during a win over Ohio State.
UCLA currently leads national statistics in several categories: first in kills per set (14.96), hitting percentage (.460), and assists per set (14.28). Individually, Rowan is first nationally in assists per set (12.72) while Rama tops kills per set (4.77).
Middle blockers Cameron Thorne and Micah Wong Diallo have also started well this season; Thorne is hitting .646 while Wong Diallo is hitting .592 through eight matches.
Last year, UCLA reached its third straight NCAA Championship final appearance and fourth consecutive Final Four berth. The Bruins finished with a record of 22-7 overall and topped MPSF regular-season standings for the fifth consecutive year.
Head coach John Hawks along with Sean Kelly represented Team USA at the U21 World Championships held in China last year where they earned bronze—marking the first time a USA youth national team medaled at that event.
UCLA opened this season by sweeping five out of its first six opponents—including ranked teams such as McKendree, Loyola Chicago, and UC San Diego—and continues to build on recent success within conference play: since 2022 they have won 44 out of their last 48 MPSF matches with an overall conference winning percentage of .917 during that period.
In preseason polls for both AVCA Coaches Polls and MPSF Coaches’ poll ahead of this season’s start—UCLA was picked to finish first by both groups.
Returning players include All-Americans Andrew Rowan (setter), Cameron Thorne (middle blocker), Zach Rama (outside hitter), as well as sophomore Sean Kelly who received honorable mention honors last year as a freshman.
Newcomers joining UCLA this season include Brogan Glenn (libero), Filippos Chrysostomou (outside hitter from Cyprus), Grayson Bradford (outside hitter from Manhattan Beach), Rafael Urbina (setter from Colorado), and Marek Turner (outside hitter from Long Beach).
“We are excited about our team’s start to this season,” said head coach John Hawks earlier this week regarding their early successes.
