A dropped match at Pauley Pavilion to miss the title game two years ago.

National champions in 2023.

Now, the Bruins are on track to go back-to-back for trophy No. 21.

Not a set was dropped in the first round as the chips fell chalk, with both No. 1 seed UCLA men’s volleyball (24-5, 11-1 MPSF) and No. 4 seed UC Irvine (20-10, 7-3 Big West) advancing to the NCAA semifinals. If the bracket stays perfect, the Bruins will need to defeat their Anteater foes for the third time this season in Walter Pyramid on Thursday to advance to the final matchup.

The last time the two squads saw one another, coach John Speraw had yet to bring out redshirt sophomore Matthew Aziz as a consistent starter at libero. Nevertheless, Andrew Rowan said Aziz added a dynamic the team was foreign to.

“You take a guy that everyone loves off the court, then you bring him on the court as a starter and it’s pretty awesome,” the sophomore setter said. “The energy, the comfort, the trust there – it’s great.”

Aziz emerged from the woodworks to take over as UCLA’s defensive libero alongside redshirt senior outside hitter Alex Knight, who was awarded Most Outstanding Player at last year’s NCAA tournament, in part due to a presence behind the line that is no longer possible.

Now, it’s the tallest libero in the tournament’s time to shine in the back row and help the squad control Irvine’s fastball.

“Irvine is known to be a tough serving team, and we’ve been working on it a lot together in practices,” Aziz said. “It’s all about communication and tendencies, and a good passing team is one where you have good chemistry.”

UCLA was unable to keep Irvine’s star player – Frenchman and AVCA player of the year Hilir Henno – at bay through the season’s doubleheader, but still managed to pull off the win by outplaying the squad as a whole, leading in almost every statistical category.

Nevertheless, Speraw said the team isn’t taking the last matchup into consideration as much as it has been watching tape and looking toward Irvine’s more recent play.

He added that throughout the season, the Bruins tend to focus on themselves, and it’s only around April and May that practices become more about the other team as well.

On the other side of the net, Irvine coach David Kniffin said playing in the Big West has prepared his team to thrive in the NCAA championship. He added that despite the Bruins hitting over .400 in the two’s last matchup, the Anteaters’ offense has been heating up too.

“The best defense is a good offense, so maybe we should just hit .500-plus,” Kniffin joked.

Just two victories remain between the Bruins and another ring. Play begins Thursday at 3:30 p.m.