The regular season may be coming to an end, but questions about what the star-studded Bruin lineup will look like next year are only beginning.

With the departure of a crucial senior core, coach John Hawks will need the right pieces to step up and replicate their elite production.

[Related: Beat Breakdown: Who will be UCLA men’s volleyball’s 2027 breakout star?]

And when better to begin than the present?

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (24-1, 11-1 MPSF) completed a perfect road trip upstate by earning back-to-back wins against UC Merced (4-16, 1-11) on Thursday and Friday in three and four sets, respectively, at the Greg and Cathie Hostetler Court in Merced, California, before defeating Menlo (3-18, 2-10) in straight sets Sunday at Haynes-Prim Pavilion in Atherton, California.

UCLA Athletics did not provide interview availability for the team’s athletes or coach.

Fifteen Bruins took the floor in each of the two matches against the Bobcats, including five first-time starters Friday, which was the deepest Hawks had gone down his bench this season. That depth was evident again when 14 players saw action against Menlo, signifying a clear effort to provide playing time to the less experienced members of the squad as the regular season winds down.

Freshman outside hitter Filippos Chrysostomou saw action in all three matches, his first time taking the court since UCLA’s matchup against Fort Valley State on Jan. 22. The Larnaca, Cyprus, local earned four national championships with his club team, Leontas Livadion, and earned the title of best Cypriot volleyball teenager four times before coming to Westwood.

Chrysostomou posted four kills on four attempts in Thursday’s match, adding two service aces as well. Three of his kills came in the third set, fueling a 25-17 victory to sweep the Bobcats.

He and sophomore opposite Caleb Sapp both got their first career starts Friday. Despite not appearing in any matches last season, Sapp tallied three kills alongside one service ace and one dig en route to a 3-1 victory, capping off a successful inaugural trip to Merced for the Bruins.

But apart from hitting, the Bruins will also have to make up for the loss of senior Andrew Rowan’s elite production at the setter position.

Luckily, the squad saw signs of that in sophomore setter Trent Taliaferro during the road trip. The San Clemente, California, local posted double-digit assists in all three matches, including a season-high 13 Sunday against Menlo.

Junior outside hitter Luca Curci played in two sets against the Oaks, posting a season high of his own with four kills. Curci, who appeared in all 29 matches last season for the Bruins while often being used as a libero, has played a reduced role for Hawks’ squad this season.

UCLA relied more heavily on its familiar faces in Sunday’s matchup, holding Menlo to just a .127 hitting percentage, its ninth match holding an opponent under .200.

Six Bruins tallied at least four kills, including eight from sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly, who also posted five digs. Senior outside hitter Zach Rama added five kills and two service aces of his own in the team’s 16th sweep of the season.

UCLA will conclude its regular season with two home matches against No. 8 BYU, with the second being the team’s Senior Night celebration, before the beginning of the MPSF tournament April 22 in Provo, Utah.