This post was updated Jan. 20 at 12:11 a.m.

Phoenix is a city known for its notoriously uncomfortable heat.

But it proved to be seemingly comfortable terrain for the Bruins this weekend.

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (4-0, 1-0 MPSF) defeated No. 16 Ball State (4-1) on Saturday and swept No. 6 Loyola Chicago (2-2) on Sunday at the First Point Collegiate Challenge at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona.

The tournament opened with a commemoration of Glen Lietzke, who died Dec. 25, 2025, after a battle with leukemia. He served as a former assistant coach at the University of Texas and was a notable contributor to the creation of the First Point Collegiate Challenge. Coach John Hawks and associate head coach Milan Zarkovic wore orange ribbons to honor Lietzke in their first matchup against Ball State.

“You just never know what’s going to happen with family or friends or anything like that,” said coach John Hawks. “And you know, for us to come here and represent UCLA and make Glen proud was important to us.”

Saturday night featured a showdown between left-handed pin hitters on each side of the net.

Redshirt junior David Decker put his swing on display against Ball State, with a career-high 22 kills on a .621 hitting percentage. The 6-foot-9 opposite was also efficient defensively, pairing up with All-America selection and senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne for a combined seven blocks.

“We communicate a lot about blocks,” Decker said. “We have had a whole scheme, and it worked out really well tonight. He (Thorne) was very communicative about that during the game.”

For the Cardinals, setter Lucas Machado brought his international experience to the Phoenix court. The Brazilian National Team selection recorded 40 assists and five kills on a .833 hitting percentage.

Ball State found open seams in UCLA’s serve receive, recording eight aces against UCLA’s four. However, the Bruins prevailed over the Cardinals, controlling the match in a four-set victory and eroding the Cardinals’ previous 3-0 winning streak.

The duo performance between UCLA’s starting pin hitters – outside hitters sophomore Sean Kelly and senior Zach Rama – set the tone for the 3-0 sweep against the former MIVA conference champions Sunday night.

Kelly supplemented the Bruins’ win with eight kills and stood firm defensively with a tied team-high of seven digs on the night. Like his offensive counterpart, Rama dug into his toolbox, displaying a combination of roll shots and back row attacks and contributing to a game-high 23 kills on a .618 hitting percentage.

“Every game, we try to keep them (back row attacks) going as much as we can,” Kelly said. “We’re pretty solid at it, so I think it’s a big part of our offense, for sure.”

Loyola Chicago entered the match fresh off a 3-2 win against No. 11 Stanford. The squad exhibited a similar serving performance to Ball State against UCLA, logging seven aces – six of which came from All-MIVA Second Team opposite Aleksandar Sosa, who also recorded a team-high 11 kills.

However, the greatest setback of the tournament may have been the Bruins’ own blunders. The squad tallied 22 service errors Saturday, tacking on 15 more the following evening.

Nonetheless, UCLA preserves its undefeated record after the Phoenix tournament, with the opportunity to capitalize on its consistent 0.494 hitting percentage against Fort Valley State at home Thursday.

“I’m happy that we came out with a win,” Hawks said. “I just look forward to us continuing to grow.”