Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
MVB Looks to Earn NCAA Auto Bid at MPSF Tourn.
April 17, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
Top-Seeded Bruins Play MPSF Semifinal Match Thursday — Top-ranked and top-seeded UCLA (22-4), which has won 11 straight matches (dropping just 8 sets) and captured a third straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) regular season title, enters the league tournament with a bye into the semifinals. The Bruins will play the lowest seeded team remaining at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Galen Center. UCLA has won 25 of its last 26 meetings with MPSF opponents dating back through the 2023 (14-0) and 2024 (11-1, entering the MPSF Tourn.) seasons. The winner of the MPSF Tournament (at USC) will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship tournament which begins Apr. 30 at Long Beach State.
• First Serve in MPSF Semifinals (Thu. Apr. 18): 4:30 p.m. PT
Site: Galen Center
Video: FloSports (subscription service) https://flosports.link/3VNcgYa
Live Stats: https://statb.us/b/524201
(if Bruins win on Thu.)
• First Serve in MPSF Championship (Sat. Apr. 20): 6 p.m. PT
Site: Galen Center
Video: FloSports (subscription service) https://flosports.link/3QRVswO
Live Stats: https://statb.us/b/524203
The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach. The eight-team NCAA bracket will be announced on ncaa.com on Sunday April 21 at 10 a.m. PT on ncaa.com. NCAA Quarterfinal matches begin at Long Beach State on Apr. 30 with all eight teams in action. With the home win over top-ranked Long Beach earlier this season, UCLA has defeated the AVCA's No. 1-ranked team in each of the last four seasons -- 2024: Feb. 10 Long Beach (3-1 at home); 2023: March 6 Hawai'i (3-1) in Fairfax, Va.; 2022: Feb. 19 vs. Long Beach (3-2) at home; 2021: Feb. 4 at BYU (3-1).
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA returned to the top spot in this week's AVCA coaches poll and in the Off the Block media listing. After starting out 2024 as the top-ranked team in the AVCA pre-season poll and first two listings of the regular season, the Bruins have now been ranked as high as No. 2 in the 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 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.
Ranking Notes — UCLA began the week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.373), aces/set (3rd-2.01), set assists (4th-12.02), blocks/s (5th-2.53) and kills/s (6th-12.77) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 11 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UC Irvine-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 12 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU, at CUI, CUI-h) ... Setter Andrew Rowan rates among the nation's top 10 to begin the week in set assists -- Rowan is 9th (10.14) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 13th in blocking (0.99) ... After recording a block solo in this year's home match against Long Beach, McHenry moved past Garrett Muagututia (2007-10, 44), and has risen to the top of the school list for career block solos (currently has 48) ...His current .513 career attack percentage would be a school record and make him the first Bruin in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to finish his career above .500 ... the Bruins have recently climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.373 to begin week) and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
Player Notes — UCLA leads the MPSF in service aces/set (2.01) and has four players ranked among the top 10 servers in the league to begin the week -- Ido David-6th (0.41), Cooper Robinson-7th (0.39), Andrew Rowan-8th (0.38), Merrick McHenry-9th (0.34) ... McHenry, who leads the MPSF in attack % (.577), has hit at least .400 in each of the last 23 matches (19 of 23 have been at least .500) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 13 double-digit kill matches this season and tops the team in digs (1.48) ... Robinson has double-digit points in 10 of the last 14 matches he's played in and at least one ace in each of his last six matches played (total of 12) ... Rowan has multiple aces in 12 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 15 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in each of the last 9 matches he has played in (total of 16) ... Sean McQuiggan has started at middle blocker in 11 of the last 13 matches.
MPSF / NCAA — Merrick McHenry was named 2024 MPSF Player of the Year (sixth Bruin to be so honored) McHenry joined Ethan Champlin and Andrew Rowan on the first-team ... Grant Sloane and Cooper Robinson were on the second-team ... Sean McQuiggan was named honorable mention ... This year's NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced on Sunday, April 21 will feature eight teams with two at-large bids and six spots going to conference tournament winners. Quarterfinal action begins on April 30 at Long Beach State ... The Bruins finished 2024 with an 18-match regular-season home MPSF match win streak intact.
Team Notes — UCLA now has put together three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6), 2004 (24-6) ... After last season's 31-2 season, and 2022's 22-5 record, the Bruins (22-4) have a chance to record their first three-straight season streak of five losses or less since the 1998 (28-4), 1997 (24-5) and 1996 (26-5) seasons. UCLA's 11-match win streak is its longest since winning the final 12 matches of 2023 (the next longest is a 14 match streak in 2006). This post-season, the Bruins will be aiming to replicate what the previous five NCAA MVB championship teams have done and that is win back-to-back titles -- Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, (covid), Long Beach 2019 & 2018, Ohio St. 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
• First Serve in MPSF Semifinals (Thu. Apr. 18): 4:30 p.m. PT
Site: Galen Center
Video: FloSports (subscription service) https://flosports.link/3VNcgYa
Live Stats: https://statb.us/b/524201
(if Bruins win on Thu.)
• First Serve in MPSF Championship (Sat. Apr. 20): 6 p.m. PT
Site: Galen Center
Video: FloSports (subscription service) https://flosports.link/3QRVswO
Live Stats: https://statb.us/b/524203
The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach. The eight-team NCAA bracket will be announced on ncaa.com on Sunday April 21 at 10 a.m. PT on ncaa.com. NCAA Quarterfinal matches begin at Long Beach State on Apr. 30 with all eight teams in action. With the home win over top-ranked Long Beach earlier this season, UCLA has defeated the AVCA's No. 1-ranked team in each of the last four seasons -- 2024: Feb. 10 Long Beach (3-1 at home); 2023: March 6 Hawai'i (3-1) in Fairfax, Va.; 2022: Feb. 19 vs. Long Beach (3-2) at home; 2021: Feb. 4 at BYU (3-1).
UCLA and Rankings — UCLA returned to the top spot in this week's AVCA coaches poll and in the Off the Block media listing. After starting out 2024 as the top-ranked team in the AVCA pre-season poll and first two listings of the regular season, the Bruins have now been ranked as high as No. 2 in the 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 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.
Ranking Notes — UCLA began the week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.373), aces/set (3rd-2.01), set assists (4th-12.02), blocks/s (5th-2.53) and kills/s (6th-12.77) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 11 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UC Irvine-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 12 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU, at CUI, CUI-h) ... Setter Andrew Rowan rates among the nation's top 10 to begin the week in set assists -- Rowan is 9th (10.14) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 13th in blocking (0.99) ... After recording a block solo in this year's home match against Long Beach, McHenry moved past Garrett Muagututia (2007-10, 44), and has risen to the top of the school list for career block solos (currently has 48) ...His current .513 career attack percentage would be a school record and make him the first Bruin in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to finish his career above .500 ... the Bruins have recently climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.373 to begin week) and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
Player Notes — UCLA leads the MPSF in service aces/set (2.01) and has four players ranked among the top 10 servers in the league to begin the week -- Ido David-6th (0.41), Cooper Robinson-7th (0.39), Andrew Rowan-8th (0.38), Merrick McHenry-9th (0.34) ... McHenry, who leads the MPSF in attack % (.577), has hit at least .400 in each of the last 23 matches (19 of 23 have been at least .500) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 13 double-digit kill matches this season and tops the team in digs (1.48) ... Robinson has double-digit points in 10 of the last 14 matches he's played in and at least one ace in each of his last six matches played (total of 12) ... Rowan has multiple aces in 12 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 15 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in each of the last 9 matches he has played in (total of 16) ... Sean McQuiggan has started at middle blocker in 11 of the last 13 matches.
MPSF / NCAA — Merrick McHenry was named 2024 MPSF Player of the Year (sixth Bruin to be so honored) McHenry joined Ethan Champlin and Andrew Rowan on the first-team ... Grant Sloane and Cooper Robinson were on the second-team ... Sean McQuiggan was named honorable mention ... This year's NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced on Sunday, April 21 will feature eight teams with two at-large bids and six spots going to conference tournament winners. Quarterfinal action begins on April 30 at Long Beach State ... The Bruins finished 2024 with an 18-match regular-season home MPSF match win streak intact.
Team Notes — UCLA now has put together three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2006 (26-12), 2005 (26-6), 2004 (24-6) ... After last season's 31-2 season, and 2022's 22-5 record, the Bruins (22-4) have a chance to record their first three-straight season streak of five losses or less since the 1998 (28-4), 1997 (24-5) and 1996 (26-5) seasons. UCLA's 11-match win streak is its longest since winning the final 12 matches of 2023 (the next longest is a 14 match streak in 2006). This post-season, the Bruins will be aiming to replicate what the previous five NCAA MVB championship teams have done and that is win back-to-back titles -- Hawai'i 2022 & 2021, (covid), Long Beach 2019 & 2018, Ohio St. 2017 & 2016, Loyola-Chicago 2015 & 2014 and UC Irvine 2013 & 2012.
Players Mentioned
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