No. 1 seed UCLA men’s volleyball (29-2, 13-1 MPSF) saw its 2026 campaign come to an end Saturday after falling to UC Irvine (20-8, 5-5 Big West) in a five-set thriller that went to sudden death at Pauley Pavilion.

It was a Bruin win, it was a Bruin loss.
The Rose Bowl was a house divided Saturday.
Brothers fought brothers. Teammates wrestled and tackled. Coaches on the same staff shouted from opposite sidelines.

This post was updated May 4 at 8:05 p.m.
Three Bruin seniors found out where they will be headed after they graduate.
And two will be sticking together.

For most high school seniors, spring brings prom, graduation and nights out with friends.
But for redshirt junior Emon van Loben Sels and redshirt freshman Cassius Chinlund, there was no second half of senior year.

Elite programs often respond when facing adversity.
It had been a rough weekend for the Bruins, as they lost the first two games of their final regular-season series to the Ducks.

A heavyweight fight ensued the last time these two teams met, culminating in an endgame blow.
This time, the punch came almost immediately.
And with it, the Bruins’ season came to an end.

News broke that the Bruins would have a new head coach for the 2026 campaign less than a month before the regular season began.
Longtime head coach Adam Wright stepped away from day-to-day operations of the UCLA women’s water polo program for the season to focus on his health.