No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball is just days away from opening its 2026 campaign, and after another deep NCAA tournament run, the Bruins enter the new season at a moment of transition. Coming off a national runner-up finish and the close of a championship-heavy era, UCLA now turns the page as several program pillars depart, and a new group arrives to shape what comes next. Ahead of the upcoming season, Daily Bruin Sports senior staffer Una O’Farrell takes a look at the Bruins’ outgoing and incoming players.

2025 record: 22-7, 10-2 MPSF, NCAA runner-up
Coach: John Hawks

Outgoing players:

When UCLA’s 2025 season and back-to-back championship dynasty ended in a defeat to Long Beach State, it also marked the end of a defining chapter for the program.

Five Bruins – Cooper Robinson, Matthew Aziz, Ido David, Sean McQuiggan and Matthew Edwards – graduated after helping deliver sustained success that included two consecutive national titles to set the standard for the group that will follow.

Outside hitter Robinson departed as one of the most decorated players of the John Speraw era, having assumed the majority of the offensive leadership role during Hawks’ inaugural season as head coach of the program. The 2025 MPSF Player of the Year paced UCLA’s offense with 365 kills during his senior season, routinely serving as the Bruins’ primary scoring option against the nation’s top defenses. Beyond Westwood, Robinson also represented the United States men’s national team in both 2024 and 2025, and he has since continued his career professionally with the Hiroshima Thunders in Japan.

Aziz also exhausted his eligibility after becoming a central piece of UCLA’s defensive identity. The libero operated primarily as the Bruins’ defensive specialist in a two-libero system and allowed UCLA to separate serve receive from floor defense – a defensive spot the squad will look to fill if Hawks reverts to a singular libero for the 2026 season.

Outside hitter/opposite David left Westwood after anchoring UCLA’s right side for multiple seasons. He boasted a breakout 2023 campaign, in which he led the team in scoring during its championship run with 357 kills. His impact extended behind the service line in 2025, as David finished among the team’s top five leaders in service aces, using his aggressive jump serve to consistently place pressure from the end line against opponents.

Middle blocker McQuiggan departs Westwood after playing a key role in UCLA’s championship core. McQuiggan’s presence at the net helped anchor the Bruins’ blocking scheme across multiple title runs, finishing his senior year with 52 kills and a .300 hitting percentage.

With the departure of so many multi-year contributors – all of whom were part of two national championship teams – UCLA now faces the task of replacing leadership, production and experience in its new squad.

Incoming players:

To address these losses, the Bruins welcomed a slew of additions positioned to make an immediate impact.

Outside hitter Grayson Bradford headlines UCLA’s incoming class after being named the AVCA High School Player of the Year in 2025, the first recipient of the award as the sport introduced a national player of the year at the high school level. Bradford, a 6-foot-10 true freshman out of Mira Costa High School, also competes for the U.S. U21 National Team and bolsters the Bruins’ offensive depth after the loss of Robinson.

Outside hitter Filippos Chrysostomou adds international size and versatility to the Bruins’ offense. Standing six feet, six inches tall and hailing from Larnaca, Cyprus, Chrysostomou arrives with experience running high-level offenses for professional volleyball club APOEL Nicosia, and will serve as another backup to pin-hitters senior Zach Rama and sophomore Sean Kelly.

UCLA also adds redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly, a Long Beach State transfer, to help stabilize its defensive identity.

With Aziz’s departure, Connelly may slide into the primary defensive role UCLA previously used within its two-libero system alongside junior outside hitter Luca Curci, who primarily took on serve receive duties last season. Connelly’s championship experience gives UCLA a proven option as it retools its passing and defensive schemes.

With a national runner-up finish still fresh in its mind and multiple championships in the rearview mirror, UCLA enters 2026 at a familiar crossroads. The Bruins lost four foundational players, but the arrival of incoming freshmen and a transfer signals the next wave of talent, hopeful to uphold the program’s championship standard.