Thursday, May 8
Columbus, Ohio
8:00 am PT (11:00 am ET)

UCLA

21-6,10-2MPSF

3
vs
0

#6 Belmont Abbey

17-9,12-2Conference Carolinas

1
2
3
F
Belmont Abbey
18
21
19
0
UCLA
25
25
25
3
Zach Rama
Photo by: Eric Hurd

Men's Volleyball Wins NCAA Quarterfinal Match over Belmont Abbey, 3-0

May 08, 2025 | Men's Volleyball

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The UCLA men's volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep of Belmont Abbey in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon inside the Covelli Center on the campus of Ohio State.

With the win, the Bruins have advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row and will take on the winner of Hawaii and Penn State on Saturday, May 10 at 5 pm PT (8 pm ET).

 UCLA hit .455 on the day, as three Bruins finished in double-digit kills. Zach Rama led the way with 13 kills on 21 swings, while Cooper Robinson and Sean Kelly each finished with 11 kills. Andrew Rowan paced the offense with 37 assists,

The Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set courtesy of a huge block at the net by Thorne and Robinson, before extending the lead to 9-5.

Belmont Abbey then went on a run of their own to close the gap to one 9-8, before Rowan dumped the ball over to get UCLA up 10-8.

Later on in the set Sean Kelly served up an ace to make it set point for the Bruins 24-17.

The Bruins opened up a 10-7 lead in the second set courtesy of an ace by Rama, a kill by Kelly and a block by Robinson and McQuiggan.

UCLA then added to the lead through a triple block by Rowan, McQuiggan and Robinson, and led 11-7.

The Crusaders rallied and earned three of the next four points to make it a 12-10 UCLA advantage.

Ido David came in to serve with the Bruins up 18-15, and immediately earned the Bruins a point, as UCLA opened up a 19-15 lead.   
With the Bruins up 23-21, the Bruins earned back-to-back points to take the second set, and went up 2-0 heading to the third set. A Robinson kill got the Bruins up 24-21 before Zach Rama ended the set with a service ace to give the Bruins a 25-21 set two win.

In the third set, Belmont Abbey raced out to a 8-5 advantage before Rowan fed Robinson for a kill, his eighth of the night, and brought the Bruins within two, 8-6.

Belmont Abbey held a 14-12 advantage before a Rama service ace made it 14-13 to the Crusaders.

Rowan dumped the ball over to get the Bruins level at 16-16 in the third set, before a block by Thorne and Robinson put the Bruins ahead 17-16, and gave UCLA their first lead of the set. The very next point, Rama hammered home a kill to put UCLA up 18-16.

The Bruins increased their lead in the set to 24-19 when a triple block denied Belmont Abbey at the net. A point later the Bruins clinched the set, 25-19, and the match 3-0 when Sean Kelly tallied his 11th kill of the afternoon.

Up Next: The Bruins will play the winner of No. 2 Hawaii and No. 7 Penn State in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament on May 10 at 5 pm PT (8 pm ET). The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.  

 
 

Team Stats

BAC
UCLA
Kills
33
44
Errors
19
9
Attempts
76
77
Hitting %
.184
.455
Points
37.0
62.0
Assists
30
40
Aces
1
5
Blocks
3
13

Game Leaders

Kills
13
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
6

Players Mentioned

OH/Opp
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
Highlights - Men's Volleyball vs. Hawai'i, NCAA Semifinals (May 10, 2025)
Sunday, May 11
Highlights - Men's Volleyball vs. Belmont Abbey, NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals (May 8, 2025)
Thursday, May 08
Men’s Volleyball - NCAA Travel Day Vlog ft. Matthew Aziz
Wednesday, May 07
Highlights - UCLA Men's Volleyball vs. #5 USC (4/17/25)
Friday, April 18