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Scouting report: UCLA men’s volleyball vs. Penn State, Hawai’i

Penn State men’s volleyball team goes in for a huddle after a point. (Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)

By Amelie Ionescu and Lex Wang

March 9, 2023 5:05 p.m.

With two upcoming top-five matchups and a rematch against a nonconference foe, No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball will take on the only team it lost to this season – No. 3 Penn State – on Thursday night, followed by George Mason on Friday. To cap off the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational, the blue and gold will face off against No. 1 Hawai’i for the first time since 2018 in the first one-two matchup of 2023.

Daily Bruin Sports writer Lex Wang – who is also the Opinion top editor and of the opinion that men’s volleyball is a lot of fun – and assistant Sports editor Amelie Ionescu – who will not stop talking about junior outside hitter Ethan Champlin jumping a table – bring you the scouting reports for the two top-three matchups of the weekend.

Penn State
Coach: Mark Pavlik
Starting lineup: Cole Bogner (setter), Michal Kowal (outside hitter), Brett Wildman (outside hitter), Owen Rose (middle blocker), Toby Ezeonu (middle blocker), Cal Fisher (opposite), Ryan Merk (libero)
Strength: Blocking
Weakness: Drive
X-Factor: Cal Fisher

The blue and gold is set for a rematch against the team that dealt its first and only loss of the season.

With a career spanning almost three decades, coach Mark Pavlik has established an impressive track record for the Nittany Lions as an all-around defensive force on the court. Under his leadership, Penn State secured the NCAA National Championship in 2008 and has made 22 NCAA tournament appearances. But amid his countless milestones, it is the cementation of the team’s defense that has produced the strongest results for the team.

Over the course of the season, the Nittany Lions have fallen short of the Bruins across most categories. Penn State is ranked below UCLA in overall defensive play, including 2.432 blocks per set as opposed to the blue and gold’s 2.583, as well as in general offensive play, hitting 12.32 kills per set at a .332 clip in comparison to the Bruins’ .387 hitting percentage for 12.90 kills per set. The four-set decision that resulted in the Nittany Lions’ upset win last time around was a statistical anomaly.

Having now fixed inconsistencies in their lineup, the Bruins will enter the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational seeking vengeance, with a fire the Nittany Lions may not be able to match.

But the blue and gold will have to watch out for its opponent’s block, which proved insurmountable in the last matchup between the two. Penn State middle blocker Toby Ezeonu turned in a match-high seven blocks contributing to a total of 10 for the Nittany Lions across the four sets, while redshirt junior middle blocker Merrick McHenry led the Bruins with three blocks for a total of seven on the UCLA side.

Opposite Cal Fisher has the potential to steer play. The versatile player leads the team across the board, ending Sunday’s match against UC Irvine with a team high in kills, aces, blocks and digs. In the latest matchup against the Bruins, he continued to prove himself on the court, with match highs of 15 kills and three aces while remaining at the top of the defensive statistics with an additional six digs.

Should the Bruins come out seeking revenge, they just might be able to win.

(Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)
UCLA men’s volleyball players prepare for a point. (Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)

Hawai’i
Coach: Charlie Wade
Starting lineup: Jakob Thelle (setter), Dimitrios Mouchlias (opposite), Spyros Chakas (outside hitter/opposite), Chaz Galloway (outside hitter), Cole Hogland (opposite/middle blocker), Guilherme Voss (middle blocker), Brett Sheward (libero/setter)
Strength: Hitters
Weakness: Depth
X-Factor: Jakob Thelle

Slotted in at No. 1 for 10 weeks straight, the back-to-back defending national champions will present the biggest challenge for the Bruins this season.

With coach Charlie Wade at the helm for the 14th year, Hawai’i has taken the volleyball world by storm, clinching national titles in 2021 and 2022 and sporting the only undefeated record in the NCAA on the heels of 28 straight home wins. The 2019 American Volleyball Coaches Association national coach of the year has gathered a team of strong pin hitters and a defense that has just begun to click.

After missing four straight matchups, setter Jakob Thelle managed to lead Hawai’i to back-to-back wins over No. 7 Pepperdine. Alongside leading the offense to a .632 hitting percentage in the first set Wednesday, Thelle knocked in four aces Friday. The setter appears to have returned as strong as he left, but with the potential of old injuries flaring up in the coming three games, Thelle remains the undoubted X-Factor for the Rainbow Warriors.

Opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias and outside hitter/opposite Spyros Chakas spearhead the offense, hitting at a .398 and .418 clip, respectively. The duo has led the Rainbow Warriors to the No. 2 hitting percentage in the country, just .007 behind the Bruins. Hawai’i tops UCLA in kills per set, ranking No. 1 to the No. 3 Bruins.

Both pin hitters for Hawai’i have found their strides this season, with Chakas spiking from 3.34 kills per set in 2022 to 4.23 in 2023 – the latter of which is good for fourth in the nation. While Mouchlias tends to lose focus toward the ends of sets in the first night of doubleheaders, the opposite’s serve has rocketed him to first on the team in aces with 19.

On the defensive side, while the block hasn’t looked as sharp in the early season, the Rainbow Warriors connected well against the Waves, finishing Wednesday night with eight blocks and limiting key Pepperdine outside hitter Jaylen Jasper to a .227 clip Friday night, as the team finished with 11 blocks overall. With the defense clicking, Hawai’i has one spot left to solidify: its depth.

Despite having a supporting cast capable of taking on major opponents, Mouchlias, Chakas and Thelle will be hard to replace. With either of the two hitters gone, the Rainbow Warriors will have large offensive gaps to fill, and with Thelle out, Hawai’i might not be as strong in the back row – especially with passing and serve receive.

Saturday will be the first top-five matchup the Rainbow Warriors have to face. With quality wins already under its belt – including a sweep of then-No. 2 Long Beach State – UCLA has every tool needed to break down Hawai’i. But whether the trio of Thelle, Mouchlias and Chakas will prevail, only time will tell.

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Amelie Ionescu | Sports senior staff
Ionescu was previously an assistant Sports editor on the men's volleyball, women's volleyball, swim and dive and rowing beats, and a contributor on the women's tennis beat.
Ionescu was previously an assistant Sports editor on the men's volleyball, women's volleyball, swim and dive and rowing beats, and a contributor on the women's tennis beat.
Lex Wang | Enterprise editor
Wang is the 2023-2024 Enterprise editor. Previously, she was the 2022-2023 Opinion editor, and prior to that, an assistant Opinion editor. She is Arts and Quad staff and also contributes to News, Sports on the men's volleyball beat, Copy, Design, Photo and Video.
Wang is the 2023-2024 Enterprise editor. Previously, she was the 2022-2023 Opinion editor, and prior to that, an assistant Opinion editor. She is Arts and Quad staff and also contributes to News, Sports on the men's volleyball beat, Copy, Design, Photo and Video.
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