| Men’s Volleyball |
|---|
| Long Beach — 1 |
| UCLA — 3 |
Home court advantage rules again.
Following a five-set thriller against No.2 Long Beach State earlier in the week at Long Beach, UCLA responded Friday night with another statement win, defeating The Beach in four sets at Pauley Pavilion.
The No.1 ranked Bruins (12-0, 3-0 MPSF) remain undefeated after putting up a fierce performance over Long Beach State (9-2, 0-0 Big West) at Pauley Pavilion, only dropping one set in the process.
UCLA started off strong in the opening set, highlighted by early kills from senior outside hitter Zach Rama. Throughout the set UCLA remained in control, fueled by two service aces from senior setter Andrew Rowan and redshirt junior opposite hitter David Decker. The Bruins were able to decisively claim the set, 25-15.
The tone shifted in the second set. Despite a strong performance by junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo, multiple service errors and kills from Long Beach State tightened the match. This led UCLA to fall behind, 15-16.
The Bruins were unable to regain the lead despite keeping the score close behind key blocks and kills from senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne. Long Beach State held on to take the set, 25-23, overcoming a few late service errors.
UCLA responded swiftly in the third set, building a narrow 16-13 lead behind momentum-shifting blocks from sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly.
A series of attack errors on both ends kept the game close, with the teams tied at 21-21 before a timeout from Long Beach State. Rama delivered a crucial kill to even the score at 23-23, and UCLA sealed the set, 27-25, on a powerful kill from Thorne followed by a block from Kelly.
The fourth set was equally as competitive. UCLA held a narrow lead in the fourth set, with Thorne’s kills pushing the score to 15-13 before the first media timeout. Kelly followed with back-to-back kills to keep The Beach from taking the lead.
Kills from Rama helped close out the game. After a service error tied the score at 24–24, Long Beach State responded with a service error of its own, followed by an attack error that sealed the victory for UCLA.
Thorne had a very impressive night, with an 0.813 hitting percentage and zero errors. UCLA’s composure during the ends of the close sets and besting Long Beach in blocks helped them achieve victory.
UCLA will look to carry this momentum into its next matchup on the road against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. PST.
