Despite early struggles with service errors, the Bruins leaned heavily on a dominant performance from outside hitter Cooper Robinson, who recorded a season-high 19 kills on a .421 clip. Robinson’s consistency, especially when attacking high and over blocks, helped keep UCLA steady through the momentum changes.
In the first set, UCLA’s serving woes were evident. Still, the Bruins overcame the errors thanks to Robinson’s impact and late-set pressure from Cameron Thorne, a former GCU player, who delivered two crucial aces. UCLA claimed the opening set 25-20.
The second set saw continued service issues that derailed the Bruins, while GCU responded with improved execution. The Lopes surged ahead behind solid blocking and converted UCLA errors into points, winning the second set handily, 17-25.
The third set was tighter, with Robinson notching his sixth kill of the game early in the frame. He continued to pace UCLA’s attack, supported by Zach Rama (11 kills) and Sean Kelly (10 kills). UCLA regained its footing and took the set 25-23.
GCU bounced back in the fourth, capitalizing on UCLA’s erratic play and serving more aggressively. The Lopes took the fourth 25-27, forcing a decisive fifth.
In the final set, UCLA cleaned up its errors and relied again on Robinson, who reached his game total of 19 kills in the set. A clutch kill from Thorne, assisted by Andrew Rowan (47 assists), and a block by Sean McQuiggan sealed the match 15-11 for the Bruins.
As a team, UCLA hit .344 with 62 kills but was hampered by 42 service errors. GCU hit .263 with 37 kills but couldn’t match UCLA’s offensive firepower in the final set.
With the win, UCLA improved to 17-4, while GCU dropped to 15-9.
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Featured Image Photographed by Lex Wang/Daily Bruin.
