The UCLA men’s volleyball team, ranked No. 1 nationally, is set to face No. 6 Pepperdine on Thursday evening in a matchup between the two remaining undefeated teams in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play, according to a March 31 announcement from UCLA Athletics. The Bruins currently hold a 7-0 record in conference play and are 20-0 overall, while Pepperdine stands at 8-0 in the MPSF and has an overall record of 17-4.
This matchup is significant as both teams have yet to lose within their conference this season, highlighting the strength of competition at the top of the MPSF standings. The Bruins’ current run marks their best start since going undefeated through at least 18 games for the first time since their perfect season in 1984.
UCLA recently swept No. 14 Stanford twice on consecutive nights and achieved several individual milestones during these matches. Senior setter Andrew Rowan surpassed the career mark of 4,000 assists—becoming only the second Bruin to do so since rally scoring began in 2001—and now trails only Rich Nelson’s total from that era. “Senior setter Andrew Rowan, a three-time AVCA First Team All-American, surpassed 4,000 career assists on Friday evening,” said UCLA Athletics.
Other standout performances include Sean Kelly’s recognition as AVCA National Player of the Week after recording a career-high number of kills against USC and contributing significantly during wins over other ranked opponents such as UC Irvine and Long Beach State. Additionally, both Zach Rama and Rowan were named to national watch lists for player awards due to their consistent high-level play this season.
The Bruins’ dominance extends beyond individual accolades; they lead or rank near the top nationally in several statistical categories including assists per set (13.03), hitting percentage (.393), kills per set (13.75), and aces per set (1.81). Their historic sweep over Ohio State featured an NCAA-record-setting second set with a scoreline of 48-46.
Looking forward, UCLA aims to maintain its unbeaten streak as it continues through conference play with hopes for another championship run.
