This post was updated March 10 at 12:19 a.m.

After being listed as questionable due to illness, Andrew Rowan personified the Bruins’ adversity as he stepped onto Neil & John Wooden Court on Friday night.

And after the junior setter subbed in during the second set as the Bruins trailed 19-16, an immediate assist to junior outside hitter Zach Rama encapsulated the energy the Bruins would continue to maintain throughout the match.

This excitement would pay dividends, as No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (12-3, 2-0 MPSF) swept No. 10 Stanford (7-8, 0-2) at Pauley Pavilion. The victory marked the Bruins’ second consecutive against the Cardinal and second conference victory after a slate of nonconference matchups.

After beating the Cardinal the night before in four sets, the Bruins made quicker work against their conference rivals the second time around. However, the final tally did not come easily.

“We weren’t setting in the middle of the court well,” said coach John Hawks. “Cam (junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne) was nonexistent. Sean (redshirt junior middle blocker Sean McQuiggan) was hitting negative. We had … to get a little bit of a different look to Stanford.”

The first set opened with a barrage of alternating scores, but it wasn’t until a Stanford ace at 6-4 that either team achieved a multipoint lead. By the end of the opening stanza, there had been six tied-point scores that ultimately ended with a three-point UCLA advantage.

“We know that, at the end of the day, we have the talent to beat anybody out there, so we got to keep focusing on our side,” Rama said. “Cleaning up the touches, doing the little things – and everything else will sort itself out.”

The second set proved just as contentious, with the Bruins observing as much as a five-point deficit, starting at 9-4.

After missing the first contest against Stanford because of sickness, the AVCA First Team All-American may have been the catalyst for shifting momentum in UCLA’s favor.

“Andrew came in and brought a little extra fire,” Thorne said. “It helped because we needed it. He was finding us early.”

Further contributing to a second-set comeback were three consecutive aces by Rama – capturing a lead that would be unrelinquished at the end of the frame, finishing the stanza at 25-22.

The 2023 MPSF All-Freshmen selection tied his second-highest ace mark of the season – a positive note in a 2025 run that has seen Rama hit 52 service errors, which is almost a sixth of the team’s total error count of 327.

“I’m trying to make a play for my guys,” Rama said. “I know if I put the ball in, we have an amazing block and great defenders behind us, so we’re going to score more points than they are. You got to trust your boys and go make a play.”

Before Rowan’s insertion, Trent Taliaferro filled in as the team’s play-caller. In his debut Thursday, the freshman setter boasted 47 assists – tying Rowan’s season-high. Although his assist total dipped to 14 in just three sets Friday, Taliaferro also logged four blocks.

Trent Taliaferro’s father, Brandon Taliaferro, was a UCLA setter from 1997 to 2000, during which the three-time All-American garnered 6,840 assists to finish his career as the school’s leader in assists. Additionally, he concluded his final two years with 50-plus ace campaigns.

“We’re trying to keep him confident,” Rama said. “He’s a guy that can go make plays at the net. We want to let him go do that. We’re keeping him up and feeding him all of the confidence that we can. We haven’t had a lot of reps together because we take most of our reps through Andrew, but we’re working it out.”

Despite inconsistency with who was orchestrating the offense, defensive fortitude appeared to be a consistent denominator.

While Thorne tied his season high of seven blocks, redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson set a personal best seven blocks of his own.

“I got to give it up to Cooper Robinson because he was up there every time,” Thorne said. “He got six of the seven blocks I got, but I was up with him, so he was carrying me on that side.”

Alongside the two block leaders, McQuiggan poured in three, while Rama and redshirt sophomore opposite David Decker registered pairs of their own.

The Bruins’ defensive strength held the Cardinal to a .076 hitting percentage – a step down from the 0.236 clip in the previous affair.

“It helps because when we put good service pressure in, we get blocks,” Thorne said. “It’s good to be a good defensive team. We got Cooper, Zach, great blockers. It helps our team overall.”

After Rowan lobbed a pass to Robinson for UCLA’s first point of the final set, the Bruins never trailed again – largely credit to their 0.545 hitting percentage across the final set. Robinson led with 15 kills, with Rama and Thorne trailing behind with seven and five, respectively.

The sweeping victory was not one generated exclusively by the six starters. With 12 players seeing the hardwood, Hawks has a deep rotation to lean on as the Bruins continue with conference play.

“I love it. All these guys work hard, and they all deserve time,” Hawks said. “Unfortunately, you get six guys that get a chance to go out there and play. When you get an opportunity to get guys in and they succeed, I go home and feel pretty good.”