University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Thursday, April 9
Merced, CA
6:00 pm (PT)
UCLA
22-1,9-1MPSFMVB
3
at
0
UC Merced
4-15,1-10MPSFMVB
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| UC Merced | 15 | 21 | 17 | 0 |
No. 1 UCLA Sweeps UC Merced 3-0
April 09, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
MERCED, Calif. โ The No. 1 UCLA men's volleyball program earned a 3-0 win at UC Merced on Thursday evening. Fifteen Bruins earned playing time on Thursday, as UCLA recorded its 15th sweep of the 2026 season. Set scores on Thursday evening were 25-15, 25-21, and 25-17.
Zach Rama led the way on Thursday evening with eight kills on 12 swings, while Sean Kelly was perfect on Thursday, recording seven kills on seven swings.
As a team, UCLA (22-1, 9-1 MPSF) hit .448 on the night, setters Andrew Rowan and Trent Taliaferro dished out a combined 29 assists.
The Bruins limited UC Merced (4-15, 1-10ย MPSF) to .185ย hitting percentage on the night, as Kaleb Cole led the Bobcats with seven kills on 17 swings.
In the opening set the Bruins opened up a 10-5 lead as Rama hammered home a kill. Micah Wong Diallo added another kill for the Bruins to push UCLA in front by five, 15-10.
A kill from Rama followed by an ace from Rowan pushed UCLA in front 21-13. Kills from Rama and then two in a row from David Decker gave the Bruins the opening set, 25-15.
Wong Diallo and Rama tallied five kills each in the opening set to lead the Bruins as UCLA hit .682 in the first set.
After falling behind 5-3 early on in the second set, Kelly hammered home a kill on a UC Merced overpass, before Decker recorded a service ace to tie the set at 5-5.
UCLA then scored seven points in a row to take a 14-7 lead midway through the second set.
The Bruins made changes to the lineup in the second set as Grayson Bradford, Filippos Chrysostomou, Luca Curci, Brogan Glenn, Christopher Hersh, and Trent Taliaferro all came in to the match.
Kills from Wong Diallo and Chrysostomou pushed the Bruins in front 22-16. A kill from Hersh followed by another from Bradford gave the Bruins the second set, 25-21.
As for the third set, Chrysostomou and Curci gave UCLA a 7-5 advantage early on. Russel recorded an ace, followed by a kill from Chrysostomou, which pushed UCLA in front 10-7.
UCLA took a 21-14 lead as Taliaferro slammed home a kill on two. Chrysostomou and Bradford then recorded back-to-back kills to make it 23-15. A Bobcats' service error then gave the Bruins the set 25-17, and the match 3-0.
Up Next: UCLA returns to action on Friday evening for night two at UC Merced. First serve is set for 6 pm PT and the match will be broadcast on B1G+.
Zach Rama led the way on Thursday evening with eight kills on 12 swings, while Sean Kelly was perfect on Thursday, recording seven kills on seven swings.
As a team, UCLA (22-1, 9-1 MPSF) hit .448 on the night, setters Andrew Rowan and Trent Taliaferro dished out a combined 29 assists.
The Bruins limited UC Merced (4-15, 1-10ย MPSF) to .185ย hitting percentage on the night, as Kaleb Cole led the Bobcats with seven kills on 17 swings.
In the opening set the Bruins opened up a 10-5 lead as Rama hammered home a kill. Micah Wong Diallo added another kill for the Bruins to push UCLA in front by five, 15-10.
A kill from Rama followed by an ace from Rowan pushed UCLA in front 21-13. Kills from Rama and then two in a row from David Decker gave the Bruins the opening set, 25-15.
Wong Diallo and Rama tallied five kills each in the opening set to lead the Bruins as UCLA hit .682 in the first set.
After falling behind 5-3 early on in the second set, Kelly hammered home a kill on a UC Merced overpass, before Decker recorded a service ace to tie the set at 5-5.
UCLA then scored seven points in a row to take a 14-7 lead midway through the second set.
The Bruins made changes to the lineup in the second set as Grayson Bradford, Filippos Chrysostomou, Luca Curci, Brogan Glenn, Christopher Hersh, and Trent Taliaferro all came in to the match.
Kills from Wong Diallo and Chrysostomou pushed the Bruins in front 22-16. A kill from Hersh followed by another from Bradford gave the Bruins the second set, 25-21.
As for the third set, Chrysostomou and Curci gave UCLA a 7-5 advantage early on. Russel recorded an ace, followed by a kill from Chrysostomou, which pushed UCLA in front 10-7.
UCLA took a 21-14 lead as Taliaferro slammed home a kill on two. Chrysostomou and Bradford then recorded back-to-back kills to make it 23-15. A Bobcats' service error then gave the Bruins the set 25-17, and the match 3-0.
Up Next: UCLA returns to action on Friday evening for night two at UC Merced. First serve is set for 6 pm PT and the match will be broadcast on B1G+.
Team Stats
M-110
M-30266
Kills
40
25
Errors
10
13
Attempts
67
65
Hitting %
.448
.185
Points
50.5
28.5
Assists
33
24
Aces
7
0
Blocks
3.5
3.5
Game Leaders
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Opp
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
Opp
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's VolleyballMB
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