Men’s volleyball is growing.

Whether it be the addition of two new teams – Jessup University and UC Merced – to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in 2026 and another – Pacific – in 2027 or the expansion of the NCAA tournament from 10 to 12 teams, the sport has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last year.

And the Bruins will have to grow as well if they hope to reprise their national championship status.

During the first-ever MPSF Men’s Volleyball Media Day, UCLA expressed its desire to bounce back after getting swept in the 2025 NCAA tournament finals by Long Beach State, a loss that came just one season after back-to-back national titles.

“It immediately fueled a fire in all of us because we’ve been working hard this year, just remembering how it felt after that game,” said sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly. “It makes you want to work hard every single day.”

The Manhattan Beach, California, local concluded his freshman campaign with14 starts in 24 games and ranked third on the team in total attempts – which he converted at a .323 clip. His 142 kills were good for fourth on the squad and helped earn him an MPSF All-Freshman Team selection.

However, Kelly may play an even larger role this season after the departure of former outside hitter Cooper Robinson, who spearheaded the Bruins’ back-to-back national championship runs and won MPSF Player of the Year in 2025.

“I’m definitely trying to communicate more every day,” Kelly said. “I learned a lot last year, and I can help the freshmen – the younger guys – learn. Whatever I see, I try to say.”

Kelly is part of a core group of Bruins looking to capitalize on a long offseason of international competition and practice, which provided them with new skills to bring back to the collegiate level.

The 6-foot-7 pin-hitter was part of Team USA’s U21 squad that won bronze at the FIVB World Championship last summer in China. Kelly led the Americans in total scoring, bolstered by his 0.531 hitting percentage across the tournament.

Team USA was led by coach John Hawks – who returns for his second season at UCLA’s helm – following two seasons at Loyola Chicago. Joining Kelly and Hawks were sophomore setter Trent Taliaferro and freshmen outside hitters Grayson Bradford and Marek Turner.

“We’re going to bring every bit of knowledge we learned and try to pass it on to everyone on our team,” Kelly said. “It’s really going to help us in the long run. The more we learn, the better we all get. I think the outcome could be different.”

Setter Andrew Rowan and outside hitter Zach Rama were also present at MPSF Media Day and said they look to return to the championship pedigree they flaunted in their sophomore and junior seasons.

Just like Kelly, both seniors competed overseas for USA Volleyball as part of the senior team at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League. Rowan was primarily a reserve and saw limited playing time, while Rama was mostly sidelined with a concussion.

“We know what we’re capable of,” Rama said. “We did it two times in a row, and everybody in the gym trusts each other to complete these plays we’re making.”

Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne was also a Team USA member but competed in the NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan-American Cup where he won the award for the tournament’s best middle blocker following a silver medal finish.

For guys such as Rama and Rowan, 2026 will be the culmination of an illustrious collegiate career together.

The pair of All-Americans have not only won two national championships together, and they also competed alongside one another before ever stepping onto Pauley Pavilion. Both were part of the 2022 Team USA U21 squad that won gold at the Pan-American Cup.

“We didn’t know anything other than winning that game at the end of the year,” Rowan said. “It’s what you go for every year. It’s the expectation to make it to that game. You made it back there like normal, and it didn’t go our way, but the response was better than we could have imagined.”