No. 1 seed UCLA men’s volleyball (29-2, 12-0 MPSF) will take on Long Beach State (20-4, 9-1 Big West) in the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday. The Bruins have a chance to bring national championship trophy No. 121 to Westwood in just two matches after a first-round and quarterfinal bye, going straight to the semifinal round. Here is the breakdown of the Bruins from sports reporter Ira Gorawara – who has a good feeling about this week for the Bruins.

Outside hitter/opposite

Personnel: Opp Kyle Vom Steeg, OH/Opp Cole Ketrzynski, OH Cooper Robinson, OH Alex Knight, OH/Opp Ido David, OH Grant Sloane, Opp David Decker, OH Ethan Champlin, OH Zach Rama

All three UCLA starting pin hitters saw their faces on this year’s AVCA All-America selections.

And beyond the mastery and aptitude of those three – sophomore outside hitter/opposite Ido David, junior outside hitter Ethan Champlin and senior outside hitter Alex Knight – depth characterizes UCLA’s roster.

Combining for a .348 average hitting percentage, UCLA’s starting pin hitters provide whatever the Bruins need on a given night.

After being named to the MPSF All-Freshman team last season as he earned MPSF Player of the Week honors, David heightened his standards to unprecedented levels this year. The player from Israel leads the Bruins with 19 matches of double-digit kills while simultaneously churning out 0.41 aces per set.

Knight also took his offensive production up a notch this season, besting his .272 hitting clip last season with a .338 mark so far this season and sporting 88 more kills than 2022’s total.

And don’t discount the freshmen either.

Locked in a battle with their toughest competitor this season, the Bruins were on the cusp of dropping their second set to Hawai’i before freshman outside hitter Zach Rama mustered a 3-0 UCLA run to spur a comeback for his squad. Although the Rainbow Warriors managed to win the game, Rama secured a .526 hitting clip across the night and was responsible for nine of UCLA’s 17 kills in the fourth frame.

All season, Rama delivered when the stakes were the highest. And there’s no reason it can’t happen again this weekend in Virginia.

But when push comes to shove, David, Champlin and Knight are the leaders.

Libero
Personnel: L Troy Gooch, S/L Ayrton Garcia-Jurado, L Matthew Aziz, L Coleman McDonough

After transferring from Purdue Fort Wayne this year, Troy Gooch was an honorable mention in this year’s AVCA All-America selections. The redshirt senior handled 15 serves alongside zero reception errors in 18 matches for the Bruins to lead the defense. With 204 digs under his belt, Gooch is a defensive stalwart for the blue and gold.

Sophomore Matthew Aziz didn’t see time on the court this season as he underwent injury rehab. And although freshman Coleman McDonough and redshirt junior setter/libero Ayrton Garcia-Jurado are in the mix, Gooch’s consistent performance with the Bruins assures him the starting role and makes him UCLA’s defensive specialist.

Middle blockers
Personnel: MB J.R. Norris IV, MB Guy Genis, MB Sean McQuiggan, MB Merrick McHenry, MB Christopher Hersh, MB Matthew Edwards

It was a middle blocker who guided UCLA to its first MPSF title in 17 years. And it was also a middle blocker who notched back-to-back kills to secure his team a sweep in the conference championship game.

The former is redshirt junior Merrick McHenry. This year’s MPSF tournament MVP, a member of the All-American first-team and the nation’s leader in hitting percentage at .537, McHenry’s regular-season performance was outstanding in and of itself. But McHenry’s postseason .869 clip is in a class of its own. Alongside his offensive potency, the middle blocker’s agility and athleticism enable him to lead the squad with 107 blocks on the season.

The latter is redshirt senior J.R. Norris IV, who has hit at .596 in his last 18 matches, including an impressive .833 mark in the MPSF finals. In the same game, Norris provided a breakthrough for the Bruins when they were on the brink of extending the title match to four sets. With two crucial kills, Norris secured the victory for the blue and gold.

Despite somewhat limited playing time, Norris has maximized his time on the court this season, contributing big offensively when UCLA needed it the most.

All-American honorable mention Guy Genis finished the regular season third in the nation with a blocking average of 1.25. The redshirt sophomore produced a .500 hitting percentage more than 14 times this season and churned out 98 blocks.

Setters
Personnel: S/L Ayrton Garcia-Jurado, S Andrew Rowan

After last year’s struggle to forge an identity at the setter position, the Bruins have found it.

And they have found it in setter Andrew Rowan – in other words, this year’s AVCA Newcomer of the Year and a First-Team All-American.

When junior setter/opposite Miles Partain announced his departure from the program, the focus was turned to Rowan to fill the shoes of the reigning MPSF Player of the Year. The freshman assumed responsibility as the Bruins’ full-time setter and rose to the occasion.

Rowan also garnered MPSF Freshman of the Year recognition as he guided the Bruins to the best hitting percentage in the nation at .381. Individually, Rowan ranks second in the MPSF with .485 aces per set and 995 total assists on the season. Rowan has led the Bruins to at least a .400 hitting percentage in half the games he has started.

Rowan’s dominating rookie season has guaranteed his role as UCLA’s primary setter for seasons to come.