Lions are often considered to be at the top of the animal kingdom.

But in men’s volleyball, the Bruins run the hierarchy.

No. 1 UCLA (6-0, 1-0 MPSF) will face Vanguard (2-3, 0-1) on Tuesday and No. 13 Ohio State (4-1) on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins have been fueled by consistent dominance from senior outside hitter Zach Rama, who has 92 kills on a .460 hitting percentage on the year. His performance earned him MPSF Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 19 after totaling 40 kills and hitting .515 in the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix.

However, even Lions face threats.

Vanguard’s offense is led by opposite Logan Freemon’s team-leading 53 kills on a .364 hitting percentage. Setter Brock Henderson has demonstrated flexibility in his skill set, contributing a total of 159 assists and 22 digs.

The UCLA-Vanguard relationship is also not new. Coach Brian Rofer graduated from UCLA in 1982 and started his coaching career at Vanguard in the 2022-23 season. During his career with the Lions, he has won 60% of his games.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have recorded 193 total kills on a .299 hitting percentage, with opposite Shane Wetzel leading with 59. The Lake Mary, Florida, local was MIVA Freshman of the Year in 2023 and a three-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American.

Close behind Wetzel is outside hitter Stanislaw Chacinski’s 46 total kills. He was the MIVA Newcomer of the Year and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2025.

“We just focus on our side of the net,” Rama said. “We know what we have to do to win, so we just focus on that aspect and just do our job on our side, so we don’t really have to worry about the other side of the court.”

Defensively, UCLA has strengthened its back row reception, recording 136 digs, led by redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly. The Naples, Florida, local has a total of 30 digs for the season, digging into his championship experience with Long Beach State last season.

The Bruins’ upcoming home games, following their previous matchup in La Jolla against the UC San Diego Tritons, will be an opportunity to boost morale and enhance fan engagement, especially with their next six out of seven games being on the road.

“I love a good crowd,” said coach John Hawks. “Often it’s pretty dead, not a lot of energy, (but) I just love people getting out here, getting to watch their volleyball (team).”

A championship pedigree may be exactly what it takes to instill excitement.

The Bruins are captained by MPSF First Team All-America selection and senior setter Andrew Rowan, who produced 41 assists in the win against UCSD and is the national leader in assists per set with 12.53, almost two more than the runner-up.

“We haven’t really been tested too hard yet this season,” Rowan said. “We know the best thing to do is just keep your composure and just play with all-out effort.”