This post was updated April 6 at 10:44 p.m.

Lined up against their crosstown rivals, the Bruins understood the legacy of the night’s matchup. 

No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (24-2) emerged victorious against No. 12 USC (8-14) in its 17th sweep of the season. With the win, UCLA notched the regular season MPSF title for the second year in a row.

“No matter the records, you always know it’s going to be a good match,” coach John Speraw said. “They played better than what we have seen on video, but we did what we needed to do and showed some poise when they made a couple of runs.”

Joining the players on the court were the Bruin faithful. Students, alumni and fans alike roared with every Bruin kill and Trojan error throughout the night, drowning out the “overrated” chants from the opposition’s bench.

And in the first set, those chants may have held weight. Although eventually a tumultuous affair, UCLA took an early lead in the match from the opening slate. A block from freshman setter Andrew Rowan on the edge of the net helped lengthen the margin in favor of the Bruins, earning him plaudits from his teammates and the crowd alike. 

In his first game against USC, Rowan understood the importance of the rivalry and the passion of the crowd.

“The crowd definitely gives you a little boost,” Rowan said. “You want to play a little harder, you want to play a little better.”

The first frame would prove to be one of runs, as both teams would go on deep scoring stretches. A 7-1 run by the Bruins for an early lead would be cut down by an 8-1 run by the Trojans, who eroded UCLA’s lead and eventually took the lead at the 16-15 mark. 

But to fend off overtime, an official review confirmed a Trojan blocking error, awarding the blue and gold the first set. The opening frame proved to be a team effort, as both sophomore outside hitter/opposite Ido David and senior outside hitter Alex Knight ended tied with four kills a piece. 

The second set of the night began much closer than the first, with both teams battling it out before a 5-1 run by UCLA gave it the advantage. Leading the way for the offense, Knight secured three of the team’s points through the run, finding holes in USC’s back row with his kills.

“Playing against ‘SC helps bring a little extra fire for me,” Knight said. “My setter was finding me in good situations against one or no blocks so props to them for getting me in the right spots.”

Knight’s frame-high five kills for the Bruins would prove to be sufficient to take the second set.

And as the crowd rose to its feet for match point, a hard spike down the middle for outside hitter Cooper Robinson gave UCLA its second set win – proving freshman talent just as valuable. 

Opening the third set for the blue and gold, a Rowan ace found its way onto the score sheet. Nevertheless, neither squad was able to hold a strong lead during the opening portion of the frame. The freshman also contributed to UCLA’s points directly from open play, with a close tip down to the front row earning him his second kill of the night and letting his team tie up the frame. 

The Bruins began to gain momentum, mounting a drive of five straight points, including successive aces by junior outside hitter Ethan Champlin. 

Down the stretch, kills by USC and errors from UCLA’s service and attack gave USC some momentum to cut the lead down, although the blue and gold still held up strong. Up 23-20 out of a Trojan timeout, a kill from Robinson and a USC service error allowed UCLA to secure the sweep against their historic rivals. 

The score stands in stark contrast to last year’s back-and-forth five-set endeavor and leaves the Bruins undefeated in conference play.