This post was updated Feb. 6 at 11:22 p.m.

The Beach intended to come back with a vengeance after the Bruins sent them home early in the NCAA semifinals two years ago.

They clawed their way to the national title game – only to meet the Bruins, who sent them packing once again.

Suffice it to say, the Beach doesn’t seem soothed.

Fanning the flames of a long-standing rivalry between Southern California men’s volleyball powerhouses, No. 3 UCLA (6-1) will compete in a split-location doubleheader against No. 1 Long Beach State (8-0). Friday’s face-off at Long Beach’s home stadium, Walter Pyramid, will be the first between the two giants since UCLA’s 3-1 NCAA title victory on May 4. They will duel again Feb. 12 at Pauley Pavilion.

“Having a healthy rivalry like we do – where both teams are good – it’s really good for men’s volleyball in general. There’s a lot of talent on both sides of the net,” said coach John Hawks. “Shoot, it’s going to be a heavyweight fight. The crowd that’s going to show up to watch this and witness this event is going to be in for a great match.”

UCLA’s 45 reception errors on the season may prove a vulnerability against Long Beach, which has amassed only 13 with two perfect-reception games in 2025. The Bruins have recorded as many as 11 in a single game.

Although Hawks admitted the high number of faults was a concern, he added that he planned to treat the matchup like any other game – focusing on growth and improvement.

“Nobody has won a championship in February,” Hawks said. “The match on Friday is going to be a test to see where we are right now, and then the following match on Wednesday will be another test. We’re looking at this very much like any other match in February. It’s just the environment is going to be like a final-four environment.”

UCLA is currently on a four-match winning streak, its only defeat coming against then-No. 13 Ohio State. But Hawks’ squad may meet its match against coach Alan Knipe’s squad, the highest-ranked opponent the Bruins have yet to face.

In opposite hitters Daniil Hershtynovich and Skyler Varga and outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis, Long Beach has three pins who boast top-15 hitting percentages in the nation – with none of the three averaging below 0.400 this season.

On the heels of a season-high 17-kill performance, Cooper Robinson serves as the sole Bruin representative in the same statistical category. The redshirt junior joined fellow outside hitter junior Zach Rama in receiving All-Tournament accolades in the Big Ten Challenge last weekend.

Junior setter Andrew Rowan, who earned Most Valuable Player honors in the same challenge, has tallied at least 35 assists in each of the past five games. However, his counterpart across the net, setter Moni Nikolov, is slightly outperforming Rowan in assists per set – 9.56 to the junior’s 9.48.

“It’s a whole different style of setting – it’s pretty awesome,” said Rowan, who has been pivotal to the back-to-back championship success that the Bruins found in both 2023 and 2024. “He’s a great player, and I am excited to match up with him and see how the game goes.”

Sophomore middle blocker Thiago Zamprogno said the competition could bring a horde of fans into the stadium, and that energy encourages both sides to perform at their best.

“This is going to be our toughest opponent yet, but our mindset is still the same as we would play any other team,” Zamprogno said. “We’re watching videos on them, scouting, and we’re implementing them in practice, and I feel like we’re going to be prepared for them.”