University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Saturday, May 2
Los Angeles, Calif.
5:00 pm PT
UCLA
29-2,13-1MPSFMVB
2
vs
3
UC Irvine
20-8,5-5Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 25 | 19 | 25 | 19 | 16 | 3 |
| UCLA | 23 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 14 | 2 |
Photo by: Dylan Petrossian
Bruins Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker to UC Irvine in NCAA Tournament
May 02, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA men's volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to UC Irvine in the NCAA Los Angeles regional final on Saturday evening. Set scores were 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 19-25, 16-14.
With the win the Anteaters (20-8) move on to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball semifinals on Saturday evening. UCLA concludes the season with an overall record of 29-2, along with an MPSF tournament and regular season title.
UCLA's Sean Kelly led all players with a career-high 26 kills on the night, while senior Zach Rama added 20 kills. UC Irvine's Andreas Brinck led the Anteaters with 17 kills.
Andrew Rowan recorded 57 assists and leaves UCLA as the all-time leader in set assists in the rally scoring era. Rowan departs UCLA as a three-time first-team All-American and a four-time first-team All-MPSF honoree.
UC Irvine took the opening set in a tightly contested opener, 25-23. UCLA hit .269 as a team in the set while Irvine's Trevor Clark recorded five kills to lead all players in the opening set.
After dropping the opening set, the Bruins traded points with the Anteaters and the set was tied at 10-10 midway through. UCLA took a 14-10 lead courtesy of a 4-0 run to take control of the set.
UCLA extended the lead to 21-14 when Kelly recorded a kill, which was followed by a service ace from David Decker. A Cameron Thorne kill through the middle gave the Bruins the second set, 25-19, evening the match at 1-1.
UC Irvine responded and took the third set 25-23, and took a 2-1 sets lead heading into the fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Bruins raced out to a 4-1 advantage after a Kelly service ace. UCLA extended their lead to 16-11 after a solo block from Rama, followed by another Kelly kill.
The Bruins took the fourth set with a kill from Kelly, and evened the match at 2-2, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth set, the Bruins took a 14-12 lead and looked to have won the match, but a touch was called on the Bruins, extending the set at 14-13.
UC Irvine took the next three points to win the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.
With the win the Anteaters (20-8) move on to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball semifinals on Saturday evening. UCLA concludes the season with an overall record of 29-2, along with an MPSF tournament and regular season title.
UCLA's Sean Kelly led all players with a career-high 26 kills on the night, while senior Zach Rama added 20 kills. UC Irvine's Andreas Brinck led the Anteaters with 17 kills.
Andrew Rowan recorded 57 assists and leaves UCLA as the all-time leader in set assists in the rally scoring era. Rowan departs UCLA as a three-time first-team All-American and a four-time first-team All-MPSF honoree.
UC Irvine took the opening set in a tightly contested opener, 25-23. UCLA hit .269 as a team in the set while Irvine's Trevor Clark recorded five kills to lead all players in the opening set.
After dropping the opening set, the Bruins traded points with the Anteaters and the set was tied at 10-10 midway through. UCLA took a 14-10 lead courtesy of a 4-0 run to take control of the set.
UCLA extended the lead to 21-14 when Kelly recorded a kill, which was followed by a service ace from David Decker. A Cameron Thorne kill through the middle gave the Bruins the second set, 25-19, evening the match at 1-1.
UC Irvine responded and took the third set 25-23, and took a 2-1 sets lead heading into the fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Bruins raced out to a 4-1 advantage after a Kelly service ace. UCLA extended their lead to 16-11 after a solo block from Rama, followed by another Kelly kill.
The Bruins took the fourth set with a kill from Kelly, and evened the match at 2-2, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth set, the Bruins took a 14-12 lead and looked to have won the match, but a touch was called on the Bruins, extending the set at 14-13.
UC Irvine took the next three points to win the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.
Team Stats
Irvine
UCLA
Kills
58
69
Errors
18
17
Attempts
137
134
Hitting %
.292
.388
Points
70.0
81.0
Assists
56
69
Aces
6
4
Blocks
6
8
Game Leaders
Kills
26
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
Opp
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballChristopher Connelly, More Than a College Volleyball Player
Friday, May 01
Highlights - Men's Volleyball vs. USC (April 25, 2026)
Sunday, April 26
Highlights - UCLA Men's Volleyball vs. BYU (4/23/26)
Friday, April 24
Highlights - UCLA Men's Volleyball vs. Concordia Irvine (April 22, 2026)
Thursday, April 23