No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (20-5, 10-2 MPSF) dropped its regular season finale in sweeping fashion to No. 5 USC (20-6, 8-4) on Saturday at the Galen Center. Before commencing the MPSF tournament, Daily Bruin Sports’ men’s volleyball beat delivers its foremost takeaways from the squad’s first regular season under Hawks’ tutelage.

Connor Dullinger
Assistant Sports editor
Takeaway: Consistently inconsistent

This season was one of many firsts for the Bruins.

The first under Hawks as head honcho of the program. The first without former Bruins and First Team All-Americans Ethan Champlin and Merrick McHenry. And the first loss against their Los Angeles counterparts since 2021.

Everything around the team changed – and so did its gameplay.

At times, the Bruins appeared the best team in the country. UCLA defeated then-No. 2 UC Irvine twice this season – including a sweep in Irvine – downed then-No. 13 Grand Canyon in five sets and took both bouts against then-No. 7 BYU.

Yet, at other times, the Bruins looked nothing like a title contender.

UCLA fell twice to No. 1 Long Beach State, getting swept at Pauley Pavilion and taking just one frame at Walter Pyramid. In the team’s first battle against Grand Canyon, it posted its worst hitting clip of the season at .156 and was ultimately swept. And in an early-season matchup with then-No. 13 Ohio State, UCLA clinched just one stanza in a four-set collapse.

Every team faces its own set of challenges. And I’m not saying the Bruins have to be perfect, but they have shown all too often that as much as they can battle with the best of the best, they can play like the worst of the worst.

Consistency is the primary indicator of postseason success – and the time to achieve steadiness is now.

Lex Wang
Daily Bruin senior staff
Takeaway: Defenseless

UCLA men’s volleyball ranks top 20 nationally in every meaningful statistical category: aces per set, blocks per set, kills per set and hitting percentage.

Except for one – digs per set.

In 2023, former Bruin libero Troy Gooch – a finalist for the Steve Shondell Award, an honor given to the nation’s best passer – graduated from John Speraw’s championship-winning squad. Despite Gooch’s departure, the former Bruin head coach had little cause for immediate concern.

With Hideharu Nakamura, who was transferring in from Orange Coast College, and then-sophomore Coleman McDonough both ready to fill the open position, libero depth seemed aplenty.

However, Nakamura quietly departed mid-season, and McDonough couldn’t seem to keep Speraw content with his defensive capabilities. Consequently, last season’s title-winning squad scrambled together a last-minute combination of former player Alex Knight and then-redshirt sophomore Matthew Aziz.

While Knight and Aziz helped procure the squad’s 21st national title last season, the libero problem has persisted well into this year.

Rather than recruit a new defensive specialist, Hawks found what he thought could be a temporary solution in the duo of Aziz and sophomore Luca Curci – who transitioned from outside hitter this season. But despite the two coming together to rebuild the fractured position, the Bruins’ defensive prowess has still suffered.

In fact, UCLA doesn’t even rank within the top 50 in digs per set – sitting below at least seven of the eight other teams in the MPSF, despite retaining the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

And now that the return of Miles Partain hasn’t panned out – lacking the proper NCAA eligibility to play – Hawks has no choice but to rely on Aziz and Curci and hope they hold down the fort in key moments.

Grant Walters
Daily Bruin contributor
Takeaway: Trouble away from Westwood

A home crowd can sway the outcome of a match, no matter the sport.

However, home-court advantage is amplified in volleyball, especially when a visiting team steps up to the service line.

With rambunctious shouts and jeers directed at the player standing idly beyond the backline, it becomes difficult to deliver a powerful yet accurate serve to stifle an opposing team’s reception.

And this is especially true for the Bruins – who have committed 23 service errors per road contest, including a season-high 42 in their five-set victory over then-No. 13 Grand Canyon on April 5.

UCLA’s subpar service play outside of Pauley Pavilion has contributed to its 7-3 road record – the team’s worst clip since 2021. The Bruins’ road losses account for three of their five defeats this season.

The squad won just one set combined in its three away losses while mustering only two aces per match in these contests.

Despite the Bruins’ overall inconsistency from beyond the back line – which is marred by their nation-leading 575 service miscues – health has also played a role.

Senior outside hitter/opposite Ido David has been hindered by an apparent leg injury for the majority of the season, and the 2023 AVCA First Team All-American’s absence has been felt particularly from the service line.

The service-specialist has played in just five sets since March 27 but still has the second-most aces on the team with 29 despite playing 38 sets less than redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson, who leads the team with 32.

However, even David isn’t immune to road struggles, committing 11 combined service errors across three road matches

Going into the MPSF tournament, UCLA will not return to Pauley Pavilion this season. The team’s remaining contests will take place at the Firestone Fieldhouse and Covelli Center for the MPSF and NCAA tournaments, respectively.

The Bruins will need to prevail in hostile and unfamiliar settings to achieve the national title three-peat, a challenge they have yet to consistently overcome.