It’s not every day a team gets to hoist a national championship trophy.

But the feat may become a continuous reality for one.

UCLA men’s volleyball snapped its 17-year national title drought – the longest in program history – on Saturday.

John Speraw became the first Bruin to earn a ring at UCLA as a player, assistant coach and now head coach.

The most dominant program in school history has returned, dropping only one set in the postseason en route to its first 30-plus-win season since Speraw was a player in 1995. This marks its longest winning streak since its last conference championship almost two decades ago and its first season with more than 20 sweeps this century.

And UCLA, which spent the season a spot behind Hawai’i in the coaches poll, still earned the top seed in the NCAA tournament. Dominating the Rainbow Warriors in kills, assists, aces and hitting percentage, the Bruins showed why they deserved the title.

And returning its entire starting lineup, UCLA is set for years to come in pretty much every category.

But sometimes stats and a box score aren’t defining, and redshirt senior Troy Gooch knows this better than anyone.

As a libero, Gooch spends his time restricted from serving and instead focused on receiving. He doesn’t tally aces, kills or blocks. Instead, he spearheads a back row that touts the best passing in the nation – passing that secured the national title for UCLA men’s volleyball for the first time since 2006.

Aided by senior Alex Knight – who doubled as the MVP of the NCAA tournament – and junior Ethan Champlin – a First-Team All-American – Gooch delivered perfection to his setter, placing the team in a position to make plays.

Scrambles and highlight-reel-level digs dominated the long rallies. And among it all stood Gooch, a pillar of stability between the two outside hitters. Although he isn’t returning in 2024, Gooch tallied a season-high 15 digs and no serve receive errors as he garnered an NCAA All-Tournament Team mention.

Like Gooch, Knight has often found himself overshadowed by flashier players, the hard hitters that manage the crucial kills and the defenders that get the critical blocks. But on Saturday, he supplemented his passing with 15 kills, spurred a serving run that led to the Bruins clinching the initial frame, and totaled six digs.

On the other side of the ball, UCLA’s David doubles as its Goliath.

Sophomore outside hitter/opposite Ido David stepped into his starting role in the 2023 season posting four 20-plus-kill matches through the regular season. And when it mattered most, 23 kills – including one to clinch the first set – overwhelmed Hawai’i and granted UCLA the offensive production it needed to supplement the defense.

Side by side with David was the Bruins’ ace off the bench in J.R. Norris IV.

In his sixth year with the program, the redshirt senior middle blocker became an offensive fixture on the court, tallying 82 kills on the season at an average .595 clip.

“Ace” proved literal Saturday when he notched five aces – half of the Bruins’ total – and eight kills. Replacing Merrick McHenry and Guy Genis at middle blocker throughout the match, a player who didn’t even set foot on the court in the semifinal contest used his power to dissolve Hawai’i’s block in crucial moments. While the redshirt junior and the redshirt sophomore tallied 11 and two kills, respectively, it was Norris who came in clutch when UCLA needed him.

UCLA dominated the pass, and it dominated the offense. The title was almost no question when the Bruins came out swinging.

Heading into 2024, the Bruins are returning six AVCA All-Americans – spearheaded by signal-caller Andrew Rowan. The standout freshman set UCLA to the highest hitting percentage in the nation at .383. Securing a career-high 60 assists in only four sets and tacking on a block solo to push the Bruins into title-clinching territory, Rowan and his connection with McHenry, Champlin, David and Knight will prove integral to the team dynamic next season.

Out of the current top-three teams, UCLA is the only one without gaps in its lineup, with Hawai’i and Penn State both suffering losses at the end of the season, especially at setter.

A lot can be said about returning all of a team’s starters.

More can be said about returning a national championship-winning team’s starters.

Speraw found the formula to winning in 1993 when he hoisted his first NCAA championship trophy as a player.

Exactly 30 years later, Speraw has taken home his ninth ring and found the formula to shatter UCLA’s title drought – likely for years to come.