The only thing worse than losing might be finishing second.

But with last season’s national championship loss in the rearview mirror, all sights are now set on the 2026 campaign.

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (2-0, 1-0 MPSF) welcomed its new season with two straight sweeps against No. 15 McKendree (0-2) and Concordia (0-2, 0-1) on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at Pauley Pavilion.

Although several key members of last season’s championship run have departed, including 2025 MPSF Player of the Year Cooper Robinson, the Bruins are confident in their ability to replicate previous successes.

“The locker room’s fun,” said sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly. “I think we have great team chemistry this year, and we’re really getting better every day.”

Kelly tallied 142 total kills on a .323 clip while making 14 starts during the 2025 season to earn a spot on the MPSF All-Freshman Team. He opened 2026 with eight kills against McKendree on a .571 success rate. His four kills in the first set against Concordia helped propel the team to a 25-13 set victory – the fewest points allowed by UCLA in a non-deciding set since January 2025.

Alongside Kelly in the offensive are seniors outside hitter Zach Rama and setter Andrew Rowan. Over the opening two victories, Rama led the team with 27 total kills on a .420 hitting percentage, while Rowan added an efficient 12.67 assists per set.

With both entering their final year as Bruins, they understand the increased leadership role they will play throughout the season.

“We got a lot of new pieces in the starting lineup, so early on in the year, we’re trying to find our groove and find our rhythm,” Rowan said. “It’s definitely so familiar being a senior here … but every season is different. To the younger guys, we’re just trying to teach them the work ethic that we try to build here.”

Junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo has already seen an elevated role from last season, where he only started in two matches. The Los Angeles local started both matches to open up the season, tallying 14 kills on a .824 hitting percentage and adding three blocks.

Coach John Hawks – now in his second season as UCLA’s head honcho – spoke about his high hopes for Diallo moving forward in the year.

“Micah’s got a bright future,” Hawks said. “Last year, we probably would have played him more. I think there were just some injuries that he dealt with that he had to work through. I expect big things from Micah.”

Hawks has been experimenting with a rotation of Diallo and senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne to open up the season, and he is pleased with the results so far. Thorne recorded five blocks in each match, accompanied by 13 total kills on a .688 clip.

“I thought our middles were perfect,” Hawks said. “We just need to get those guys more attempts and figure out how to open them up a little bit.”

The victories did not come without mistakes. The Bruins committed 18 service errors against McKendree and 11 against Concordia. Hawks said he wanted to clean up ball control and tighten up blocking rotations.

And for a team that came so close to a national championship just eight months ago, correcting those mistakes could help ensure a different ending to this season.

UCLA will now look ahead to next weekend, when they will match up against Ball State and Loyola Chicago as part of the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

“I’m excited,” said Hawks, who served as head coach of Loyola Chicago from 2022-24. “I’m excited where we are right now, and I’m looking forward to some team bonding.”