| Men’s Volleyball |
|---|
| UCLA — 3 |
| Stanford — 0 |
Outworked. Outplayed. Overcomed.
The No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (20-0 Overall, 7-0 MPSF) team defeated No. 14 Stanford (9-10 Overall, 6-2 MPSF) again in three sets for the second night in a row.
The Stanford Cardinals started the match with a kill, but with every point scored by the Bruins, the Cardinals matched them right after. So, back and forth both teams went, with long rallies and intense plays from both sides.
Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne made a rare attacking error after a tight set from senior setter Andrew Rowan, shaking his head. After rotating into the back row to serve, Rowan earned himself an ace following a shanked ball from the Cardinals. Redshirt junior opposite hitter David Decker sent a ball wide, but a slight touch from Stanford gave the Bruins their first 3-point lead. But, a successful challenge from Stanford overturned the point to the Cardinals.
After an attack error by the Bruins, the score was tied between the two teams at 21-21. Unwilling to give up a single set, senior outside hitter Zach Rama took the next set and shot the ball deep for a point. Following his walk to the service line and acing his serve, Rama wrapped up the first set, leaving the Cardinals behind at 25-21.
At the start of the second set, sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly killed a ball after getting blocked on his first attempt, learning to find his way around the block. The Bruins ran one of their favorite plays, consisting of a fake hit from junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo, and Kelly coming from behind him to attack for a kill.
Stanford’s errors gave the Bruins a leg up, with overpasses and long shots from the front row. Despite their mistake, they still managed to keep a tight score, often tying the numbers or staying within a one-point range. With Decker behind the serving line, the Bruins started another serving run, forcing the Cardinals to take two timeouts in an attempt to ice out Decker. That tactic proved to be unsuccessful, with Wong Diallo ending the second set, 25-22.
Stanford got their first successful block of the match to start the third set against the Bruins. Brushing off the block, Rowan set Thorne for a quick set, who sliced the ball before the ten-foot line. Stanford was quick to fall behind, with Rama putting down an ace and well-placed attacks from the entire front row.
Six points down and after calling a timeout, Stanford capitalized on a free ball sent over by the Bruins and killed the ball. But a tip by Decker put a stop to any cheers from the Cardinal fans. With a serve sent just out of bounds from Stanford, the Bruins won their final set,, 25-21.
Up next, the Bruins will play Pepperdine in Malibu, on April 2 at 6 p.m. PST.
