This post was updated Feb. 24 at 4:58 p.m.

It seemed as if UCLA hit its lowest point in years after falling in consecutive matches to Long Beach State – the country’s best team – just a few weeks ago.

But sometimes, defeat is the best wake-up call.

And it was for No. 3 UCLA men’s volleyball (8-3) which bested No. 2 UC Irvine (10-2) in a five-set, back-and-forth affair Saturday at Pauley Pavilion, securing its second consecutive victory against the team after Wednesday’s sweep.

The Bruins were forced to make a comeback after trailing 2-1 going into the fourth set. But after posting a sub-.200 hitting percentage in the first set and yielding five service errors in the third stanza, a 25-14 set victory in the fourth set turned the tide in the Bruins’ favor and deadlocked the affair at two sets apiece.

It was outside hitter and 2024 AVCA Player of the Year Hilir Henno who proved to be one of the greatest obstacles on the Bruins’ path to victory. Securing 21 of Irvine’s 55 kills, Henno guided the Anteaters to a first- and third-set victory, giving them the lead going into what could have been the last set of the match.

“I saw that UCI was very dependent on Henno and a little bit on (Nolan) Flexen,” said redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson. “We knew that if we put pressure on them from the service line then we would be able to win.”

UCLA succeeded in doing just that in the fourth set, with senior outside hitter/opposite Ido David serving back-to-back aces to bring the team’s lead to 7-3.

The Bruins never lost that edge, winning the fourth set by 11 points, while carrying the momentum into the fifth frame.

Junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne set a new season high with 17 kills on a .842 hitting percentage.

“I thought he (Thorne) came into that set and he was all energy,” Robinson said. “He had a great service run, and then he was just exploding balls, getting good blocks.”

Thorne was not the only player to steer the Bruins to glory, with both Robinson and junior outside hitter Zach Rama also achieving double-digit kills, the former doing so on a .444 clip. However, coach John Hawks said cohesion among the entire roster was integral to securing the victory.

“Zach Rama, that’s the greatest passing performance I’ve ever seen from an outside, he played insane,” Thorne said. “Rowan gave the ball perfect every time, couldn’t complain about that.”

After winning the fourth set by double-digit points, the Bruins landed the victory by five in the fifth frame, securing their 3-2 win and sweeping the series.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading points, and UCLA eventually falling by four. The second set proved more successful for the Bruins, with Rama giving them a two-point lead with his ace before the set finished at 25-20.

“We served really well in that first set, and put a ton of pressure on them,” Hawks said.

UCLA will return to action Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara at Pauley Pavilion.