Shattering records has become a Bruin trademark.

Wednesday night proved that nothing has changed.

Led by Sean McQuiggan’s perfect hitting percentage, No. 3 UCLA (7-3) swept No. 2 UC Irvine (10-1) at the Bren Events Center in Irvine. The redshirt junior middle blocker posted a career-high 10 kills against the Anteaters to become just the second Bruin in program history to hit 1.000 in a match.

“That’s probably some of the best volleyball we’ve played all season, especially coming out against a team like UCI – that was big to us,” McQuiggan said.

McQuiggan – who started Wednesday and returned for his second appearance on the court this season – faced expectations to perform at a level consistent with his previous appearances as a regular asset in the 2024 lineup. But even though the Redondo Beach, California, local had not touched a volleyball for seven months – until the matchup with Long Beach – he refused to allow his shoulder injury to limit his contributions. Alongside a perfect hitting percentage, he contributed four block assists in the process.

Despite recording back-to-back losses against the Beach, McQuiggan said he still had faith in the squad to compete with the best of the best – the Anteaters included.

“I’ve always believed that as long as I’m confident in my playing ability, I’m going to go out there and play great. I never really lost the confidence,” McQuiggan said. “As long as I get a chance to compete, I’m going to be the best person I can be. I’ve got a great supporting group of guys with me. I truly believe we have the best six volleyball player combination on our team.”

Redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson also contributed his share with 11 kills. A kill by junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne in the second set – who ended the matchup with a career- and match-high 15 kills of his own – gave the Bruins an edge at 13-12 the Anteaters never recovered from. This thin margin ultimately streamlined into an 8-point UCLA lead that contained Irvine to a -.143 hitting percentage, resulting in its only negative set of the season.

Chemistry between Andrew Rowan and the squad’s pin hitters helped pave the way to 45 kills on an overall .442 clip by end of the night. With 37 assists, the junior setter proved instrumental in heralding double-digit kills from several Bruins, as well as in assisting Thorne in acclimating to a new collegiate environment.

“Our connection has been getting better as the season goes on,” Thorne said. “It was a little iffy in the beginning, because adjusting to a new set is always hard. He’s been doing a great job talking to me and … telling me where to go.”

Senior outside hitter/opposite Ido David also returned to the lineup after a head injury Jan. 31 against Penn State benched him for three games. However, David – who made the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team in 2023 – has yet to replicate the success from his sophomore year.

Despite earning a first-team AVCA All-America selection two years ago, David’s offensive production dropped to his second-worst clip of the season at -.500 and generated six service errors against Irvine.

The 6-foot-7 powerhouse’s hitting percentage has declined every year since he first stepped foot in Westwood in 2022, underperforming by 192 kills between 2023 and 2024.

Struggles defensively have proved difficult thus far for UCLA to overcome, as the Bruins currently rank outside the top 50 in the nation for digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Luca Curci’s six reception errors alone doubled Irvine’s total reception faults.

But alongside Curci, redshirt junior libero Matthew Aziz has been helping to fill in defensive gaps until former setter and 2022 MPSF Player of the Year Miles Partain – who is awaiting NCAA clearance to officially return to the UCLA roster – can potentially take the reins. Aziz and junior outside hitter Zach Rama posted six digs each – season-highs for both of them – during the matchup.

Coach John Hawks said the team executed the game plan well and pressured the Anteaters to earn every point they received.

“For us to go out and showcase the hard work that we’re putting in the gym against a very, very good team in Irvine, in their gym, was a testament to our guys’ character,” Hawks said. “It’s a catalyst for what we can do going forward.”