The UCLA men’s volleyball team secured a five-set victory against UC Irvine on Friday night at the Bren Events Center. The Bruins, ranked No. 1 nationally, defeated the No. 4 Anteaters with set scores of 25-22, 20-25, 28-30, 25-22, and 15-11.
Zach Rama led UCLA with 20 kills. Sean Kelly recorded a career-high 19 kills, and David Decker contributed 12 kills. The Bruins’ defense limited UC Irvine to a .221 hitting percentage and posted a total of 16.5 team blocks. Micah Wong Diallo achieved a personal best with nine block assists. Libero Chris Connelly had a match-high 15 digs while setter Andrew Rowan finished with a career-high 12 digs.
With this win, UCLA improved its record to 14-0 for the season and remains the only undefeated men’s volleyball team in the country. UC Irvine’s record dropped to 12-2 after the loss.
The match opened with UCLA taking the first set following key plays by Decker and Rama. UC Irvine evened the score in the second set by holding UCLA to a .192 hitting percentage.
In the third set, UCLA overcame an early deficit but eventually lost the set in extra points as UC Irvine took a 2-1 lead in sets. Facing elimination, UCLA won the fourth set after rallying from behind and tying up the match.
In the deciding fifth set, two early kills from Kelly helped give UCLA an initial lead that they maintained despite late pressure from UC Irvine. A block from Wong Diallo and another kill from Rama secured both the final set and match for UCLA.
UCLA’s next match will be against USC at the Galen Center, with first serve scheduled for 7 pm Pacific Time. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
