The Rundown: April 19

Check out a breakdown of the UCLA sports stories you might have missed this week.

Ma’a among nation’s best freshmen

UCLA men’s volleyball’s freshman phenom Micah Ma’a is only adding to his already-long list of accolades. The setter/hitter, who was named National Freshman of the Week four times during the 2016 regular season, was selected for the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Freshman All-American Team on Monday.

Ma’a and junior setter Hagen Smith brought stability to the Bruins’ setting corps, which was in flux for much of the 2015 season. The Hawaii native also offered a reliable offensive presence, hitting .300 with 230 kills so far this year.

His 56 total aces tie former Bruin players Adam Naeve and Gonzalo Quiroga for the most recorded by a UCLA player in a single season of the rally scoring era.

A first-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selection, Ma’a helped guide a young UCLA men’s volleyball team to the playoffs in a turnaround year. The Bruins will face the Long Beach State 49ers in the MPSF semifinal Thursday evening.

Freshman libero Davis Gillett also received votes. The defensive player leads the Bruins with 217 digs this season.

Canning garners conference recognition

A second straight standout performance was enough to earn sophomore Griffin Canning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors. The Bruin right-hander tossed a complete game shutout Friday night in Seattle, guiding the visitors to a 1-0 victory over Washington.

Canning struck out 10 and induced 11 groundouts, limiting the Huskies to just six hits and a single walk. The double-digit strikeout total was the second-highest of his UCLA career and leaves him with 61 overall this season.

The sophomore’s dominant showing was a follow-up to his nine-inning loss the previous Thursday against Stanford. Canning allowed three earned runs but the Bruins’ bats went quiet and they dropped the game 4-1 to the Cardinal.

Freshman right-hander Kyle Molnar is the only other UCLA player to receive Player or Pitcher of the Week honors so far in the 2016 season.

UCLA football adds to 2017 class

Jaelan Phillips, a local four-star defensive end from Redlands, California, verbally committed to the Bruins’ 2017 recruiting class Thursday. Scout.com ranked the high school senior No. 1 in both California and the West region at his position and 247Sports placed him at the top of the team’s 2017 list.

UCLA was the early leader for Phillips, he told Scout.com last year. But, in recent months, Stanford emerged as a possible college destination. An unofficial visit to Westwood in early April sealed the deal, though.

“I spent a ton of time with the coaches and players and really felt a connection,” the 6-foot-5-inch, 230 pound defensive end told Scout.com. “I spent two nights there and more than anything, UCLA is the school I felt the most comfortable at.”