“Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Former UCLA tennis player Arthur Ashe famously coined it.

And the Bruins know better than most that it is the climb that has defined them this season.

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (20-0, 7-0 MPSF) will travel to face No. 6 Pepperdine (17-4, 8-0) on Thursday evening at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu for a matchup between the only two undefeated teams remaining in the conference, with the Waves riding a six-match winning streak. The conference rivals will rematch Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion.

A similar scenario unfolded Friday when No. 14 Stanford, riding its own six-match winning streak, met UCLA before the latter ended the run with two consecutive sweeps in Northern California to maintain its unblemished record.

“We’re not looking for that undefeated mark – it doesn’t really matter to us. But if we could get it, obviously, that would be awesome,” said senior outside hitter Zach Rama.

During the Stanford series, senior setter Andrew Rowan surpassed 4,000 career assists, becoming just the second UCLA player to reach that mark in the rally scoring era since Rich Nelson dished out 4,346 assists from 2001 to 2003.

Rowan has maintained his All-American-caliber performance throughout his senior campaign, earning him a spot on the 2026 AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Year Award Watch List. He leads the nation with 11.67 assists per set, an increase from his 10.08 mark, which led the MPSF and ranked No. 13 nationally in 2025.

His production has been supported by consistent serve-receive play from redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly, who noted that the unit’s success stems from its preparation and cohesion.

“For us, it’s a passing unit, like my two outsides. We do a really good job at staying consistent in what our prep is and what we focus on and how we pride ourselves on our serve-receive,” Connelly said.

Pepperdine’s roster brims with similar high-level talent, with outside hitter Ryan Barnett also named on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List.

He recently won AVCA National Player of the Week for his performance in the second of two matchups against No. 9 BYU on March 28. Barnett set a new career high in kills with 20, hitting .558 between the two matches and averaging nearly five points per set.

This marks the second National Player of the Week honor in the redshirt senior’s career, last earning it in the final stretch of the 2025 regular season as he led the Waves to an MPSF championship.

While UCLA shattered Stanford’s undefeated streak, it is unclear whether or not Pepperdine will yield similar results. That uncertainty speaks to the broader pressure UCLA has navigated all season, as an undefeated record continues to draw heightened attention from opponents and fans alike.

Following the Bruins’ second win over the Cardinal, coach John Hawks addressed the topic.

“The question is: When do we start feeling the pressure of an undefeated season?” Hawks said. “But every year is a different story, every match has a different story, so I’m excited about where we are now.”

Despite a perfect record, UCLA’s path has not been without challenges, and victories have not come easily.

Two match points against No. 4 USC and a two-set hole against No. 3 Long Beach State have brought UCLA within striking distance of its first loss.

But while defeat is always a possibility, it has not distracted the team from its goals.

“When might that loss come? It could come next match,” Hawks said. “We know that, and our goal was never to go undefeated. Our goal is to win a national championship.”