UCLA
BYU
Bruins Fall in Four to Cougars
March 28, 2009 | Men's Volleyball
March 28, 2009
The 10th-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team fell in four games on the road to BYU Saturday night, gaining a split in the series before returning home to Pauley Pavilion for four home games beginning next week.
BYU won 29-31, 34-32, 30-28, 30-25 in two hours and 25 minutes before 1,918 fans at Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars raised their record to 14-9, 10-6; UCLA fell to 10-13, 6-10. On Friday night, the Bruins won in four games.
Twenty-one service errors (with just two aces) was a key factor in the Bruins' loss. UCLA enjoyed a 17.0-12.5 blocking edge and converted 27.5 percent of their kill attempts to BYU's 25.2 percent.
For the second straight night, freshman Jack Polales led the Bruins with 18 kills (.351). He also added three block assists for 19.5 points. Senior Sean O'Malley added 11 kills and freshman Thomas Amberg recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 total blocks. Ryan Ratelle came off the bench and hit 1.000 with five kills, and senior Jamie Diefenbach, one week removed from finishing the college basketball season, added three kills off the bench.
The Bruins will host Hawaii on Apr. 2 and 3 in Pauley Pavilion.
