No. 1 UCLA Claims Ninth MPSF Tournament Title, Takes Down USC 3-1

Saturday, April 25

Provo, Utah

6:00 pm PT (7:00 pm MT)

UCLA

29-1,13-1MPSFMVB

#3 USC

19-7,9-5MPSFMVB

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Southern California	23	25	26	24	1
UCLA	25	22	28	26	3

No. 1 UCLA Claims Ninth MPSF Tournament Title, Takes Down USC 3-1

April 25, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

PROVO, Utah – The UCLA men's volleyball program earned its ninth MPSF Tournament Championship on Saturday, taking down crosstown rival USC in four sets, 3-1. Set scores were 25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 26-24.

With the win, UCLA claims its ninth MPSF tournament title and its first since 2023. UCLA improves to 29-1 on the year. Sean Kelly Cameron Thorne, and Andrew Rowan were all named to the MPSF Tournament team, while Rowan was named the most outstanding player at the tournament.

UCLA improves to 3-0 against USC this season.

Zach Rama led the way with 18 kills on the night, while sophomore Sean Kelly added 12. Rowan notched 42 assists to pace the Bruins to a .271 hitting percentage.

In the opening set, the Trojans took a 17-15 lead before the Bruins rallied off four points in a row to make it 19-17 in favor of UCLA. Rowan ended the 4-0 run with a service ace to put the Bruins up two points in the set.

USC responded with a run of their own and tied the set at 20-20. The two sides traded points before back-to-back kills from Kelly and Rama pushed UCLA in front 24-22. Rama then ended the set two points later, giving UCLA the opening set 25-23.

The two sides traded points throughout the beginning of the set, as no side took more than a two-point lead at the 7-7 mark.

UCLA then took a 10-7 lead courtesy of a kill from Rama followed by multiple attack errors from the Trojans.

USC responded with a run themselves and took a 20-18 lead, forcing a UCLA timeout. The Bruins earned two-straight points out of the timeout to tie the set at 20-20 after a kill from Rama and an attack error from the Trojans.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, USC took five of the next seven points to claim the second set, 25-22, evening the match at 1-1 through two sets.

In the third set, the sides went back and forth before the Bruins prevailed late on. Neither team took more than a two-point lead the entire set, as the teams were tied 24-24.

USC's Dillon Klein made it 25-24, before the Bruins fended off set point. Klein then tallied another kill to put USC in front 26-25, but the Bruins responded with a kill from David Dekcer, tying the set at 26-26.

An attack error from the Trojans made it 27-26 Bruins, before Thorne and Decker combined for a block to end the set, 28-26, giving the Bruins a 2-1 sets lead.

As for the fourth set, the Bruins stormed out to a 9-5 lead. After taking a 17-14 lead, the Trojans came back and tallied four straight points to take an 18-17 lead in the set.

The two rivals continued to duke it out, going point for point, before a kill from Decker gave the Bruins their first match point at 24-23.

USC responded with a kill to tie it at 24-24, before Rowan found Micah Wong Diallo in the middle to give the Bruins their second set point of the match.

Kelly then ended the match with a walk-off ace to give the Bruins the set 26-24, and the match 3-1.

Up Next: UCLA will play in the NCAA regional final on Saturday, May 2, against an opponent that is TBD. The Bruins will find out their opponent during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, April 26, at 1:00 pm PT.