The No. 2 Bruins was swept by the Lopes in their first conference play loss this season, losing 19-25, 19-25 and 21-25. The Lopes secured their win with a 6-0 scoring run in the last set.
Junior hitter Zach Rama led the Bruins with 10 kills, followed by junior blocker Cameron Thorne and redshirt junior hitter Cooper Robinson with nine kills apiece. Friday’s match marks Thorne’s first time returning to GCU, where he played two seasons and made it to the NCAA semifinals with the Lopes before transferring to UCLA. In addition to his nine kills, Thorne recorded a total of two blocks against his former team.
Despite holding the lead in the beginning of the first set, GCU would score four in a row to put themselves up 17-14, forcing the Bruins to take a timeout. Struggles from the service line and a total of nine service errors from UCLA in the first set would see the Lopes take a 1-0 set lead into the second set.
GCU would continue to pull ahead throughout the second set, a service ace by Lopes freshman blocker Trevell Jordan putting the Bruins behind 13-18 into UCLA’s second timeout of the set. A service error from UCLA gave GCU the 2-0 set lead into what would be the third and final set of the game.
The Bruins fell behind the Lopes at the start of the third set before coming within one point with a service ace from freshman hitter Sean Kelly, making the score 7-8. Kelly was one of the top performers of the game for UCLA, recording six kills, two aces and one block. After GCU junior hitter Trent Moser tied the game up 18-18, Thorne responded immediately with a kill of his own, putting the Bruins up 19-18 to the Lopes. Rama extended the lead to 21-19 with two kills in a row, forcing GCU to call a timeout.
GCU would come back from the timeout to go on a 6-0 scoring run to clinch the set and the win. The Bruins tried to disrupt the Lopes run with two timeouts, but an attack error from Rama and a service ace from GCU senior blocker Cole Duncanson closed out the game in a disappointing loss for UCLA.
The loss highlights the continuous struggle for the Bruins at the service line: the team amassed a costly total of 21 service errors. UCLA looks for better results in their second match against GCU Saturday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
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Featured Image Photographed by Andrew Diaz/Daily Bruin.
