Thursday, May 2
Long Beach, CA
3:30 PM
UCLA
vs
UC Irvine
Senior Ethan Champlin on the attack.
Photo by: Jan Kim Lim
MVB To Battle UCI in NCAA Semifinals Thursday
May 01, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
Top-Seeded Bruins vs. No. 4 UC Irvine in NCAA Semifinal Match — Top-seeded UCLA (24-5), which has won 13 of its last 14 matches and is coming off of a third straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) regular season title, will play No. 4 seed UC Irvine (20-10, at-large bid from Big West Conference) on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid in an NCAA Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship semifinal match. This is the third straight year the Bruins have advanced to the national semifinals. UCLA has won the last eight meetings with the 'Eaters, dating back to a 2017 MPSF playoff loss which ended that season. All eight battles have gone at least four sets, including a four- and five-setter earlier this year. The winner of Thursday's semifinal match will move on to play for the national title on Saturday at 2 p.m.
May 2 - UCLA vs. UC Irvine - NCAA Semifinals - 3:30 p.m. PT
at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=526097
Live Video: ncaa.com https://www.ncaa.com/game/6290844
The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach State. 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's NCAA Tournament History — This marks the 30th appearance by the Bruins in the NCAA MVB Championship event (58-10 overall record after defeating Fort Valley State in the quarterfinals on Tuesday) ... UCLA last won the NCAA title in 2023 ... This is the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bruins under head coach John Speraw who has compiled a 12-4 all-time record in NCAA play --- 2024 at Long Beach: d. Fort Valley St. (3-0) in quarterfinals; 2023 at George Mason: d. Long Beach (3-0) in semis and Hawai'i (3-1) in title match; 2022 at UCLA: UCLA d. Pepperdine (3-1) in an Opening Match and lost to Long Beach (2-3) in the semis; 2018 at UCLA: UCLA d. Harvard (3-1) in an Opening Match; d. BYU (3-1) in semis; lost to Long Beach (2-3) in championship; 2016 at Penn St.: UCLA lost to Ohio State (2-3) in semis. While at UC Irvine, (2006-lost in semis to Penn St.; 2007-won title over Purdue Fort Wayne; 2009-won title over USC; 2012-won title over USC) ... UCLA has advanced to the Championship match 27 times (20-7 record). The Bruins have won the NCAA title in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982,1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023 ... UCLA lost in the title match in 1978, 1980, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2018.
Player Notes — Merrick McHenry, who paced the MPSF in attack %, has hit at least .400 in 25 of the last 26 matches (21 of 26 have been at least .500) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 14 double-digit kill matches this season and also tops the team in digs ... Cooper Robinson has double-digit points in 12 of the last 17 matches he's played in and at least one ace in seven of the last nine matches ... Andrew Rowan has multiple aces in 12 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 17 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in 10 of the last 12 matches he has played in.
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 (23-4) 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 and Team Rankings — UCLA was listed at No. 2 in last week's AVCA coaches poll. 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.
More Ranking Notes — UCLA began the Championship week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.370), aces/set (3rd-1.97), blocks/s (4th-2.52), set assists (5th-12.00), and kills/s (6th-12.74) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 13 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU, at USC, GCU in MPSF), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UCI-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 14 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU, at CUI, CUI-h, at USC, Ft Valley St. in NCAA) ... Setter Andrew Rowan rates among the nation's top 10 in set assists -- 9th (10.15) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 15th in blocking (0.97) ... 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 .515 career attack percentage would be a school record and make him the first Bruin in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to finish above .500 ... the Bruins have climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.370 to begin the NCAA's) and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
May 2 - UCLA vs. UC Irvine - NCAA Semifinals - 3:30 p.m. PT
at Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=526097
Live Video: ncaa.com https://www.ncaa.com/game/6290844
The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one match this season, a 1-3 loss at top-ranked Long Beach State. 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's NCAA Tournament History — This marks the 30th appearance by the Bruins in the NCAA MVB Championship event (58-10 overall record after defeating Fort Valley State in the quarterfinals on Tuesday) ... UCLA last won the NCAA title in 2023 ... This is the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bruins under head coach John Speraw who has compiled a 12-4 all-time record in NCAA play --- 2024 at Long Beach: d. Fort Valley St. (3-0) in quarterfinals; 2023 at George Mason: d. Long Beach (3-0) in semis and Hawai'i (3-1) in title match; 2022 at UCLA: UCLA d. Pepperdine (3-1) in an Opening Match and lost to Long Beach (2-3) in the semis; 2018 at UCLA: UCLA d. Harvard (3-1) in an Opening Match; d. BYU (3-1) in semis; lost to Long Beach (2-3) in championship; 2016 at Penn St.: UCLA lost to Ohio State (2-3) in semis. While at UC Irvine, (2006-lost in semis to Penn St.; 2007-won title over Purdue Fort Wayne; 2009-won title over USC; 2012-won title over USC) ... UCLA has advanced to the Championship match 27 times (20-7 record). The Bruins have won the NCAA title in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982,1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023 ... UCLA lost in the title match in 1978, 1980, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2018.
Player Notes — Merrick McHenry, who paced the MPSF in attack %, has hit at least .400 in 25 of the last 26 matches (21 of 26 have been at least .500) ... Ethan Champlin owns the team lead with 14 double-digit kill matches this season and also tops the team in digs ... Cooper Robinson has double-digit points in 12 of the last 17 matches he's played in and at least one ace in seven of the last nine matches ... Andrew Rowan has multiple aces in 12 matches and the team has hit at least .350 in 17 matches he has started this season ... Grant Sloane has at least one ace in 10 of the last 12 matches he has played in.
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 (23-4) 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 and Team Rankings — UCLA was listed at No. 2 in last week's AVCA coaches poll. 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.
More Ranking Notes — UCLA began the Championship week ranked among the nation's top 10 as a team in hitting % (1st-.370), aces/set (3rd-1.97), blocks/s (4th-2.52), set assists (5th-12.00), and kills/s (6th-12.74) ... So far in 2024, UCLA has 13 double-digit total block efforts (Lewis, Loyola,Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU, at USC, GCU in MPSF), five double-digit ace performances (Lewis-14, UCI-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and has hit at least .400 in 14 matches (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St.-h, Stanford, GCU, at CUI, CUI-h, at USC, Ft Valley St. in NCAA) ... Setter Andrew Rowan rates among the nation's top 10 in set assists -- 9th (10.15) ... Merrick McHenry ranks 15th in blocking (0.97) ... 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 .515 career attack percentage would be a school record and make him the first Bruin in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to finish above .500 ... the Bruins have climbed into the top spot nationally in hitting percentage (.370 to begin the NCAA's) and are looking to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 hit .382; 2022 hit .374).
Players Mentioned
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