No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (29-2, 13-1 MPSF) faced No. 6 UC Irvine (20-8, 5-5 Big West) on Saturday night in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins went up against the Anteaters in the NCAA Regionals match which ended in a devastating 3-2 loss for the Bruins. UCLA fought hard but after a challenge from UCI late in the fifth set, the momentum shifted and the Anteaters came back to win 16-14, ending the Bruins’ season and bringing their NCAA tournament run to a close.
Senior outside hitter Zach Rama goes up against two UCI blockers. Rama had 20 kills against the Anteaters in the regional finals.
Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne and redshirt junior opposite David Decker go up for a double block against UCI. Thorne and Decker combined for a total of 23 points against the Anteaters.Decker goes up against two Anteater blockers. The opposite had nine kills over UCI in the regional finals.Redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly gets up a hit from a UCI attacker. Connelly dug 12 hits in the Bruin match up against the Anteaters.Sophomore outside Sean Kelly hits a cross-court shot against UCI. Kelly had a team high 26 kills against the Anteaters.
Connelly points to his teammate in celebration. The libero kept the Bruins energized throughout their five-set match against UCI.
Kelly passes an Anteater serve. The sophomore had 12 digs, tied with Connelly, against UCI.Thorne hits a quick set from Rowan. The senior middle blocker accounted for 11 of UCLA’s 81 points against UCI.Rowan sets the ball up to the outside. The senior setter led the Bruins in the regional finals against UCI.
Decker flies through the air after getting a kill over UCI. The redshirt junior added nine kills to the Bruins score in the regional finals.
Connelly excitedly cheers on his teammates in between points. The libero facilitated many plays for the Bruins, putting up the ball for Rowan to set.Connelly celebrates after a kill from junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo. The Bruins went to five sets with the UCI Anteaters but ultimately lost 3-2 in the regional finals.
Thorne serves against UCI. The middle blocker was a huge asset to the Bruins in the regional finals match against the Anteaters.
Sophomore setter Trent Taliaferro serves up the ball against the UCI Anteaters. The Bruins took on UCI in the regional finals match of the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Regan is a second-year sociology student from San Diego. She started taking photos in the sixth grade, but has since fallen in love with film photography. In her free time she likes to go to concerts and plays, especially musicals. Some of her favorites that she's seen recently are Arctic Monkeys, Chappell Roan and Hadestown.
