On Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion, the No.1 UCLA men’s volleyball team (5-0, 1-0 MPSF) swept Fort Valley State (1-1, 0-0 SIAC), 3-0. With strong plays from senior outside hitter Zach Rama and sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly, the Bruins defeated the Wildcats 25-21, 25-17, 25-15.
The Bruins served first but lost the opening point before settling into rhythm early in the opening set. Fort Valley briefly held momentum, but UCLA responded quickly, tying the score at 4-4. The teams continued to tie before UCLA began to extend their lead, going on a 3-0 scoring run to take a 17-12 advantage.
Fort Valley called a timeout in hopes of catching up to the Bruins, but UCLA continued to lead the first set. Rama delivered a loud kill, set up by senior setter Andrew Rowan, to extend the lead to 20-15. Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne followed with another kill, also assisted by Rowan, to make it 21-17.
Fort Valley finally got their momentum going but it was too late. They scored consecutive points to cut the deficit to 24-21, but UCLA closed the set on the next point for a 25-21 win. Rama led with five kills in the opening set.
UCLA carried its momentum into the second set, earning the first point after Fort Valley served. Rowan served next but committed a service error, tying the score at 1-1. Thorne regained the lead for the Bruins with a kill, and later added another to make it 8-7. Rowan then delivered an ace as part of a 3-0 scoring run that extended the Bruins’ lead to 10-7.
A play later on in the set resulted in a challenge, with officials keeping the point with UCLA. The decision allowed the Bruins to extend their lead to 22-15 and maintain control heading into the final minutes of the second set. UCLA reached set point at 24-15 but Fort Valley was able to score twice, before the Bruins closed out the set 25-17 on a final kill. After the second set, Rama led UCLA with seven kills, while Thorne followed close behind with six.
The Bruins carried their momentum into the third set. UCLA jumped out to an early 4-2 lead and later a successful challenge overturned a Fort Valley point and extended the Bruins’ advantage to 8-4. UCLA continued to build their momentum, stretching the lead to 14-8 and then 20-10, the largest lead of the night.
Another challenge occurred and a point was overturned in Fort Valley’s favor, but that didn’t bother the Bruins as they continued to take the lead. The Bruins reached set point at 24-15 before closing out the match with a 25-15 win.
Rama and Kelly led the Bruins with nine kills each, highlighting UCLA’s offense. Freshman outside hitter Grayson Bradford and Thorne each had six kills, while Rowan finished the night with 24 assists. This win brings the Bruins to a five game winning streak, remaining undefeated.
Next up, UCLA hopes to keep their winning streak going when they face No. 11 UC San Diego tomorrow at 7 p.m. PST in La Jolla.
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Featured Image Photographed by Siena Hunt/BruinLife
