UCLA Men's Volleyball to Play for 19th NCAA Title Saturday

UCLA Men's Volleyball to Play for 19th NCAA Title Saturday

May 6, 2005

In its 24th NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship appearance, the UCLA men's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA title match for the 24th time. The Bruins defeated Penn State 3-0 in the semfinals to keep alive their home court unbeaten streak in the four-team NCAA Championships format.

The third-seeded Bruins (26-5) will meet top-seeded Pepperdine (24-2) on Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. (PDT). The match will be televised live by ESPN2.

UCLA and Pepperdine split two matches this season. The Waves won the most recent meeting, 3-2 on Mar. 12 in Malibu. National Player of the Year Sean Rooney had a match-high 30 kills for Pepperdine, and John Parfitt added 25. Paul Johnson led UCLA with 17 kills. On Jan. 19, UCLA swept Pepperdine 3-0 in 78 minutes in Pauley Pavilion. Johnson and Steve Klosterman each had 13 kills, and freshman setter Gaby Acevedo had 46 set assists. Rooney was held to 15 kills.

In the semifinals against Penn State, senior Brennan Prahler, a last-minute starter, led all players with 17 kills, one off his career high. Senior captain Jonathan Acosta had 16 kills while posting an attack percentage of .500. Allan Vince, whose status was questionable after spraining his ankle in practice on Tuesday, sparked the Bruins with four aces and added eight kills (.429) in a starting role.

UCLA has hosted the NCAA Championship for men's volleyball 13 times, but 2005 represents the first year the Bruins will participate on their home floor since winning the 1996 title against Hawaii.

UCLA hosted in 1999, but did not participate as BYU defeated Long Beach State in three games.

The Bruins last won the title in 2000, defeating Ohio State in three games in Ft. Wayne, IN. They also won in 1998 by sweeping Pepperdine in Honolulu, HI.

Overall, UCLA has won 18 NCAA titles in men's volleyball, all under legendary Head Coach Al Scates. In Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins are 25-0 in the current four-team championship format. They have won nine of their 18 titles at home and boast an overall NCAA Tournament record of 50-6 (.893).

For ticket information to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship, please call 310-UCLA-WIN or log on to www.uclabruins.com.