Andrew Rowan soared into the air, setting the ball to the left side of the net – an offensive sequence the junior setter has run thousands of times.

Only this time, the ball found not a teammate, but the hardwood.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Matthew Edwards and freshman outside hitter Sean Kelly – one of whom was probably expected to finish the pass – stood motionless nearby, merely looking on as the blunder spearheaded a three-point edge.

Miscommunication reigned king among No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (16-4, 6-1 MPSF) in its three-set fall to No. 13 Grand Canyon (15-8, 4-5) Friday at the Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix. Throughout the evening, balls were fought over, and abnormal errors were committed – seemingly melting the Bruins’ ordinary composure into dissonant dysfunction.

The Bruins were restricted to their lowest hitting percentage of the 2025 campaign, posting a measly .156 clip. Outside hitters junior Zach Rama and redshirt junior Cooper Robinson both garnered as many kills as they did errors, combining for 19 of each.

Although Rama obtained a season-high eight digs, the .000 clips from the two pin hitters left others to pick up the slack.

Coach John Hawks pulled Robinson for half a frame in favor of sophomore outside hitter Kahale Clini, posted an all-around performance in his short stint on the court, recording a kill, a dig and a block with additional pressure from the service line.

Junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne – who transferred from Grand Canyon after last season – reaped nine kills of his own on an efficient .400 clip, while logging two block assists.

But Thorne’s two-year knowledge of the Antelopes was no match for the Bruins’ own faults.

In the second set, Robinson and sophomore outside hitter Luca Curci slammed together as the duo clashed for possession of the ball. And just a point later, Rowan raced for the second touch – only to swerve out of the way after being beaten to it by Kelly.

Most punishing of all, however, was that Grand Canyon proved coordinated in ways that UCLA did not.

Antelope coach Matt Werle raised challenge after challenge – four in all – to counter referee decisions that his squad thought unfairly punished them. Hawks, meanwhile, pulled out his own green card just once – unsuccessfully – to question a touch on a block.

Any time a purple-and-white jersey came flying to his bench over the wrongful loss of a point, Werle honored that spirit of communication – and in all but one instance, the challenge bore fruit. Several of the call reversals came at timely intervals – with one securing the first set for Grand Canyon.

Adding to the already mistake-riddled duel, UCLA surrendered 21 points alone in service errors, compared to six from its counterparts. But while the Bruins – ranking fourth in the nation in aces per set – usually make up the difference with a barrage of unreturnable serves, the team saw just two Friday.

Grand Canyon most recently played UCLA in the MPSF championships last season – where the former defeated the latter in five sets to claim its first-ever conference title. But this time, it was a fragmented effort that led to the Bruins’ demise in a clean sweep in Phoenix.

Nonetheless, UCLA will have the chance to redeem itself against Grand Canyon on Saturday in the second leg of its two-game series.