Friday, January 19
Austin, TX
2:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Ohio State
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
MVB Takes on Top 10 Teams at First Point VB Collegiate Challenge
January 16, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
No. 1 Bruins To Play No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State at First Point Volleyball Collegiate Challenge — Top-ranked UCLA (4-0), which has won its last 16 straight matches overall, hits the road again this week to take on No. 4 Ohio State (4-0) from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) on Friday at 2 p.m. PT. and No. 7 Penn State (4-0) from the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT in Austin, Texas site of the First Point Volleyball Collegiate Challenge.
First Point Volleyball Foundation exists to create more opportunities for young men to grow and develop through volleyball. Both OSU and PSU advanced to the 2023 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament after winning their league's post-season tournament. Teams from Stanford, Ball State and USC will also participate in this weekend's Challenge. Please note that there will be matches played prior to each UCLA match on both days so listed start times at the Challenge may not be exact. The tournament will feature five teams to have won multiple NCAA Men's Volleyball championships -- UCLA (20), USC (4), Ohio State (3), Penn State (2), Stanford (2).
This Week
(note that there is a match prior to UCLA's match each day and the start time may not be exact)
• First Serve vs. Ohio State (Fri. Jan. 19): 2 p.m. PT
Video: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/11269500-2024-first-point-collegiate-challenge
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=499706
• First Serve vs. Penn State (Sat. Jan. 20): 4:30 p.m. PT
Video:https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/11269500-2024-first-point-collegiate-challenge
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=499715
Win Streaks — The current 16-match win streak is UCLA's longest since it captured the last 14 matches of 2006 and the first two of 2007. Hawai'i is the last team to defeat UCLA (1-3) and that came on Mar. 11, 2023 in Honolulu. The next longest streak by the Bruins came in 1997 when it won 18 straight matches. The Bruins have also won 19 straight regular-season Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) contests over the past two seasons since a loss at Stanford (Mar. 11, 2022).
History — The Bruins split a pair of meetings last season with the Penn State Nittany Lions, winning 3-2 in Honolulu and losing 1-3 in State College. UCLA defeated Ohio State 3-1 at the BigTen / Pac-12 Challenge at PSU. Last week, the Bruins beat then-No. 10 Loyola-Chicago in straight sets on Saturday and Lewis 3-1 on Thursday after opening 2024 with a pair of 3-0 wins over Fort Valley State and Morehouse College in the HBCU SoCal Challenge.
Ido David had 12 kills versus Loyola and Cooper Robinson added 10. Ethan Champlin, who had 14 kills versus Lewis, totaled 13 kills and 10 digs against Fort Valley. Zach Rama added 10 kills versus Morehouse as UCLA hit a school-record .822. After four matches, UCLA owns a 40.5 to 12 edge over opponents in total blocks and 37 to 15 margin in service aces. It has out hit the opposition .410 to .163.
2023 Milestones — Last season was UCLA's 27th appearance in the NCAA Championship match (20-7 record). It was the first appearance in back-to-back NCAA MVB Tournaments since 2005 and 2006. The total of 31 wins in a season was the most since 1995 (Coach Speraw was a player for the Bruins that season) when UCLA went 31-1. UCLA's 3-0 win over Long Beach in the NCAA Semifinals was the 21st sweep of the season which was the most since the 1995 team established the school record at 25. The Bruins produced an unbeaten conference season (12-0) for the first time since 1995 (19-0). On the heels of a 22-5 2022 campaign, the Bruins registered the first back-to-back 20-win seasons by the program since 2012 and 2013. Speraw won his 400th match as a men's collegiate head coach (also been head coach at UC Irvine where he won three NCAA titles 2012, 2009, 2007) and his 200th match as UCLA's head man earlier in 2023 in matches against UC Irvine. The AVCA named seven Bruins to its 2023 All-America teams which marked the most in program history. Speraw became the first Bruin head coach to be recognized as the AVCA National Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year since Al Scates in 1998.
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA has been voted No. 1 in each of the 2024 AVCA polls. The Bruins have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the AVCA poll at some point in seven of the last eight seasons (not in 2021) ... The Bruins have risen as high as No. 1 in the AVCA poll in five seasons under Coach John Speraw -- 2024,2023, 2022, 2016, 2014 ... UCLA has ended a season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll a record 10 times (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995,1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023) over the years.
Team NCAA Ranking Notes — UCLA is ranked in the Top 10 this season in hitting %, at .410 (third), and blocks per set, at 3.12 (4th). Last season, UCLA led the nation in hitting percentage (.382), blocks (2.8/set) and set assists (12.64/set). It marked the second straight season in which the Bruins topped the nation in hitting percentage after posting a .374 mark in 2022. The Bruins were second nationally in 2023 in aces (2.02) and kills per set (13.31). UCLA hit at least .400 in 17 matches in the 2023 season. The Bruins had seven matches last season with at least 10 aces, including the championship match against Hawai'i (UCSD-18, Ohio St.-11, UCI-10, CUI-13, Purdue Ft. Wayne-10, Stanford-11, Hawai'i-10). UCLA recorded double-digit total blocks in 14 matches a year ago with a high of 18.5 against Pepperdine.
First Point Volleyball Foundation exists to create more opportunities for young men to grow and develop through volleyball. Both OSU and PSU advanced to the 2023 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament after winning their league's post-season tournament. Teams from Stanford, Ball State and USC will also participate in this weekend's Challenge. Please note that there will be matches played prior to each UCLA match on both days so listed start times at the Challenge may not be exact. The tournament will feature five teams to have won multiple NCAA Men's Volleyball championships -- UCLA (20), USC (4), Ohio State (3), Penn State (2), Stanford (2).
This Week
(note that there is a match prior to UCLA's match each day and the start time may not be exact)
• First Serve vs. Ohio State (Fri. Jan. 19): 2 p.m. PT
Video: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/11269500-2024-first-point-collegiate-challenge
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=499706
• First Serve vs. Penn State (Sat. Jan. 20): 4:30 p.m. PT
Video:https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/11269500-2024-first-point-collegiate-challenge
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=499715
Win Streaks — The current 16-match win streak is UCLA's longest since it captured the last 14 matches of 2006 and the first two of 2007. Hawai'i is the last team to defeat UCLA (1-3) and that came on Mar. 11, 2023 in Honolulu. The next longest streak by the Bruins came in 1997 when it won 18 straight matches. The Bruins have also won 19 straight regular-season Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) contests over the past two seasons since a loss at Stanford (Mar. 11, 2022).
History — The Bruins split a pair of meetings last season with the Penn State Nittany Lions, winning 3-2 in Honolulu and losing 1-3 in State College. UCLA defeated Ohio State 3-1 at the BigTen / Pac-12 Challenge at PSU. Last week, the Bruins beat then-No. 10 Loyola-Chicago in straight sets on Saturday and Lewis 3-1 on Thursday after opening 2024 with a pair of 3-0 wins over Fort Valley State and Morehouse College in the HBCU SoCal Challenge.
Ido David had 12 kills versus Loyola and Cooper Robinson added 10. Ethan Champlin, who had 14 kills versus Lewis, totaled 13 kills and 10 digs against Fort Valley. Zach Rama added 10 kills versus Morehouse as UCLA hit a school-record .822. After four matches, UCLA owns a 40.5 to 12 edge over opponents in total blocks and 37 to 15 margin in service aces. It has out hit the opposition .410 to .163.
2023 Milestones — Last season was UCLA's 27th appearance in the NCAA Championship match (20-7 record). It was the first appearance in back-to-back NCAA MVB Tournaments since 2005 and 2006. The total of 31 wins in a season was the most since 1995 (Coach Speraw was a player for the Bruins that season) when UCLA went 31-1. UCLA's 3-0 win over Long Beach in the NCAA Semifinals was the 21st sweep of the season which was the most since the 1995 team established the school record at 25. The Bruins produced an unbeaten conference season (12-0) for the first time since 1995 (19-0). On the heels of a 22-5 2022 campaign, the Bruins registered the first back-to-back 20-win seasons by the program since 2012 and 2013. Speraw won his 400th match as a men's collegiate head coach (also been head coach at UC Irvine where he won three NCAA titles 2012, 2009, 2007) and his 200th match as UCLA's head man earlier in 2023 in matches against UC Irvine. The AVCA named seven Bruins to its 2023 All-America teams which marked the most in program history. Speraw became the first Bruin head coach to be recognized as the AVCA National Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year since Al Scates in 1998.
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA has been voted No. 1 in each of the 2024 AVCA polls. The Bruins have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the AVCA poll at some point in seven of the last eight seasons (not in 2021) ... The Bruins have risen as high as No. 1 in the AVCA poll in five seasons under Coach John Speraw -- 2024,2023, 2022, 2016, 2014 ... UCLA has ended a season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll a record 10 times (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995,1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023) over the years.
Team NCAA Ranking Notes — UCLA is ranked in the Top 10 this season in hitting %, at .410 (third), and blocks per set, at 3.12 (4th). Last season, UCLA led the nation in hitting percentage (.382), blocks (2.8/set) and set assists (12.64/set). It marked the second straight season in which the Bruins topped the nation in hitting percentage after posting a .374 mark in 2022. The Bruins were second nationally in 2023 in aces (2.02) and kills per set (13.31). UCLA hit at least .400 in 17 matches in the 2023 season. The Bruins had seven matches last season with at least 10 aces, including the championship match against Hawai'i (UCSD-18, Ohio St.-11, UCI-10, CUI-13, Purdue Ft. Wayne-10, Stanford-11, Hawai'i-10). UCLA recorded double-digit total blocks in 14 matches a year ago with a high of 18.5 against Pepperdine.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
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