UCLA Men’s Volleyball Looks for Back-to-Back Titles
The Bruins will play Long Beach State this afternoon with a national title going to the winner.
The defending champion UCLA men’s volleyball team are looking for back-to-back titles this afternoon when the Bruins head down the 405 to face Long Beach State this afternoon at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. The match will begin at 2:00 pm PT and will be broadcast on ESPN with Paul Sunderland and Kevin Barnett on the call.
The Bruins earned the right to defend their title on Thursday afternoon when they defeated #4 seed UC Irvine, 3-2.
Last Time Out
The Bruins dropped the opening set to the Anteaters, 25-22, before winning the second and third sets, 25-20 and 25-18. But UCLA couldn’t close it out in the fourth set as UCI took the set, 25-18. In the fifth and final set, UCLA closed out the Anteaters, 15-12, to advance to today’s title match.
Long Beach State
Long Beach State has had an absolutely fantastic season. The 49ers have lost just twice all season, and they haven’t lost at home all year. Their first loss of the year came on February 10th at Pauley Pavilion where the Bruins defeated them, 3-1. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the night before LBSU topped UCLA, 3-1, in Long Beach. So, the Bruins will have their work cut out for them this afternoon.
LBSU lost their second match of the season when they were swept on the road by UC Irvine on April 12.
UCLA Bruins
This season, the Bruins have been led by senior outside hitter Ethan Champlin who has had 15 matches this season where he recorded double-digits in kills. Meanwhile, redshirt senior Merrick McHenry has had a .400 hitting percentage in 26 of the last 27 matches.
Another Bruin to watch for is redshirt junior Grant Sloane, who led the Bruins with 16 kills in their home win over against the 49ers. Conversely, Sloane had no kills the night before when UCLA visited Long Beach State.
Analysis
UCLA has their work cut out for them this afternoon. With the match being played in Long Beach where the 49ers have not lost all season, defending last year’s title will be tough. But it’s not impossible. After all, Long Beach State faced the Bruins at Pauley in 2018 with the national championship on the line and the Niners defeated UCLA in five sets.
Today’s match is likely to go a full five sets in a knockdown, dragout fight with the title on the line. Assuming that happens, all bets are off. Hopefully, the Bruins will be able to come out on top.
NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship
Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (25-5) vs. #2 seed Long Beach State 49ers (27-2)
Scheduled Time: Saturday, May 4, 2024, 2:00 pm PT
Where: Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, CA
TV: ESPN with Paul Sunderland and Kevin Barnett
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: NCAA StatBroadcast
Match Notes:
UCLA
LBSU
Go Bruins!!! Bring home NC #122!
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122!
It wasn’t beautiful volleyball today, but the Bruins played like champions in beating a tough opponent that kept UCLA from establishing a good attacking rhythm.
The team will look much different next year, but it has enough talent to be in contention for a third straight national championship in 2025.
Go BRUINS!