| Men’s Volleyball |
|---|
| UCLA — 3 |
| UC Merced — 1 |
To everyone’s surprise, the team projected to win the national championships had lost its first set to an unranked team.
Tonight, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins men’s volleyball team (23-1, 10-1 MPSF) defeated the UC Merced Bobcats (4-16, 1-11 MPSF) for the second night in a row. The only difference today, however, is that it took the Bruins one more set to take the victory.
The Bobcats took the first point, given to them by the Bruins after an attacking error. With a set from sophomore setter Trent Taliaferro, freshman opposite hitter Grayson Bradford was able to add some kills to his record. Coming out of the timeout, the baby Bruins worked hard to get a lead on the Bobcats.
Unfamiliar with the pressures of serving in an uncharted territory, the Bruins missed back-to-back serves continuously, tallying up a total of six. These free points ensured that the Bobcats followed close behind. Two points down at 16-18, UCLA called another timeout for some much-needed guidance. Unfortunately, the timeout did little to shorten the gap, carrying into the twenties, at 21-23. The Bobcats took the first set win after a poorly placed block from the Bruins, 25-23.
UCLA head coach John Hawks gave the court back to the starting five to take control of the second set, but the Bobcats were fueled with excitement after winning the first set. With service aces by junior opposite hitter David Decker and a kill from the front row, the Bruins had doubled the score put up by the Bobcats, 8-4. After the Bobcats took a timeout, even with a combination of errors made by the Bruins and kills by Merced, the Bobcats still could not catch up to the veterans. The upperclassman pushed harder, and a service ace by senior outside hitter Zach Rama ended the set in favor of the Bruins, 25-19.
The third set began with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly and a stuffed block by Decker. However, three consecutive kills by the Bobcats kept the score tight between the two teams at the start. The Bruins pushed three points of their own with two blocks, led by powerhouse Kelly. With momentum and grit, the Bruins maintained their lead and four-point gap until the media timeout, 15-11. With set assists from senior setter Andrew Rowan, Rama and Decker put it away for the Bruins, 25-21.
The Bobcats took the first point of the last set with a kill after a serve by senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne. Rotating into the front, junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo put down kills with sharp crosses, thanks to perfectly placed sets by Rowan. After a service ace by Thorne, pushing the Bruins up four points, the Bobcats call another timeout. The Bruins absolutely dominated the rest of the set, forcing the Bobcats to continuously make errors on all sides. Another service error by the Bobcats ended the set and match in a loss, 25-19.
Up next, the Bruins are taking on Menlo in Atherton, California on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. PST.
