The UCLA men’s volleyball team, ranked No. 1, secured its sixth sweep in seven matches to open the 2026 season with a 3-0 victory over Vanguard in Los Angeles.
Sean Kelly was the top scorer for UCLA, finishing with 16 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Andrew Rowan directed the offense, leading the Bruins to a .381 hitting percentage and recording 28 assists.
UCLA showed strong defense at the net, tallying 17 total blocks, including three solo efforts. Luca Curci led the blocking effort with four block assists and one solo block.
In the first set, Sean Kelly’s three consecutive kills gave UCLA an early advantage at 7-4. The Bruins extended their lead through multiple scoring runs, including a six-point streak to close out the set at 25-17.
During the second set, Vanguard briefly took a two-point lead before UCLA responded with three straight points. Kills from Kelly and an ace by Wong Diallo helped put UCLA ahead. Despite a close score late in the set, key plays by Curci and Decker allowed UCLA to secure a 25-21 win.
The third set saw Vanguard take an early lead before UCLA used a four-point run to move ahead. Christopher Hersh and Curci contributed defensively as UCLA maintained pressure to finish the match with a 25-20 third-set win.
Following this result, UCLA will host No. 13 Ohio State on Thursday evening at Pauley Pavilion. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT start and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
