UCLA men’s volleyball’s 2025 season is officially over after getting swept by Long Beach State in the NCAA tournament final at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio, on May 12. Assistant Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five main takeaways from the Bruins’ 2024-2025 season and predictions for what the future holds.

Goodbye Robinson

When former outside hitter Ethan Champlin graduated last season, many speculated on how the Bruins could replace the three-time AVCA First Team All-American.

And while many saw redshirt junior Cooper Robinson as the likely successor to Champlin, few thought the outside hitter would end up achieving such feats in 2025.

Simply put: He blew expectations out of the water.

The 2025 MPSF Player of the Year and AVCA First Team All-American ranked 11th in the country in hitting percentage and 25th in kills per set with a .387 clip and 3.56 tally, respectively.

Robinson tallied a .300-plus hitting percentage and double-digit kills in seven of his final 10 matches. He also finished the 2025 campaign leading the team with 365 kills, 120 digs and 41 service aces.

Robinson, however, has officially played his last game in the blue and gold – he will likely be playing professionally overseas next year.

The Bruins will now need to replace Robinson, and just like Champlain, it will be no easy feat.

The core four

Five Bruins are set to graduate in June.

Three were mainstays in the starting lineup – redshirt junior trio middle blocker Sean McQuiggan, libero Matthew Aziz and Robinson.

However, the Bruins should retain four key starters heading into the 2026 season – three are 2025 AVCA All-American selections, and two were integral to UCLA’s back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.

Junior setter Andrew Rowan may be the team’s most important key for next season. The three-time AVCA First Team All-American has been instrumental in pacing the Bruins’ offense since he stepped foot into Westwood.

UCLA should also return junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne – a two-time AVCA All-American – who not only led the team with a .521 hitting percentage, but also ranks 13th in the nation with 1.06 blocks per set.

Joining Thorne and Rowan is the outside hitter tandem of junior Zach Rama and freshman Sean Kelly. Rama found success in the back half of the season playing at the opposite spot but will most likely slide into the number one outside hitter position, alongside Kelly, after Robinson’s departure.

In the latter half of the season, Rama went 10 straight matches with double-digit kills while being named to the NCAA All-tournament team after sporting 31 kills across three NCAA tournament matches.

Kelly himself earned All-MPSF honorable mention distinctions and boasted double-digit kills in eight of his last 11 affairs.

Where is the libero?

The libero position hasn’t been addressed since former Bruin Troy Gooch graduated two years ago.

UCLA attempted a makeshift dual-libero strategy by using former Bruin outside hitter Alex Knight and Aziz in 2024 and Aziz and sophomore outside hitter Luca Curci in 2025.

And while 2024 ended with a national championship, 2025 proved the Bruins need a solidified defensive stalwart to patrol the backline.

UCLA ranked outside the nation’s top 50 in digs per set, and Curci alone sported 36 of UCLA’s 147 total reception errors.

And with Aziz graduating, the only liberos on the roster are Curci, junior Coleman McDonough and freshman Matthew Chun.

Chun has yet to play a set, while McDonough has played in just 13 sets.

While Curci remains on the roster, there is still a question whether coach John Hawks will utilize Curci as the sole backline defender, continue the libero-tandem strategy with another Bruin or recruit a traditional libero through the transfer portal.

Regardless of what Hawks decides, there will likely be new faces at libero. And if there aren’t, then reception may very well continue to be a problem for the Bruins next season.

Open spots aplenty

Despite the return of four starters, three starting positions are up for grabs come 2026.

The first – and arguably most important – is the third pin hitting spot behind Rama and Kelly. While I expect redshirt sophomore opposite David Decker to fill in, I wouldn’t count out incoming recruit pin hitter Grayson Bradford.

The 6-foot-11 Manhattan Beach, California, local is a top recruit in the nation and plays for one of the best high school volleyball teams in the country at Mira Costa.

With a dominant frame that should help fortify the Bruins’ block, his powerful hitting will also help their attack.

UCLA will also need a backup middle blocker to play second fiddle to Thorne. Here, I could see either of incoming juniors Thiago Zamprogno or Micah Wong Diallo taking the mantle formerly manned by McQuiggan.

While Diallo played in just 12 sets this season, he contributed at least three kills in four of his five appearances. On the other hand, Zamprogno played in 16 sets and eclipsed a season-high six kills in seven attempts against UC Irvine on Jan. 23.

The Bruins could bring in a middle blocker through the transfer portal, and I expect Hawks to recruit a libero to take over their defensive duties.

Fresh faces

While I expect Bradford to potentially slot in as one of the starting pin hitters, the Bruins also bring a plethora of other recruits.

UCLA-signed pin hitter Filippos Chrysostomou, who played for club team Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus. Touting professional volleyball experience and regarded as one of the most promising players in Europe, Chrysostomou could see playing time in his first year in Westwood.

Libero Brogan Glenn will also join the Bruins next season, and with the absence of proven defensive stalwarts on the roster, Glenn could be a shoo-in for the libero spot come 2026.

Joining Bradford and Chrysostomou on the outside is Marek Turner, who played for both the USA U21 and U19 national teams in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Setter Rafa Urbina will join an already loaded position group that includes Rowan and freshman setter Trent Taliaferro. Urbina won best setter at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championships.

With immense roster turnover during the past two seasons – and two to three starting spots lying out in the open – fresh faces could see a role on the court come 2026.