MVB will battle at Beach for the NCAA title on Saturday

Bruins look to defend title against No. 2 seed Long Beach State Top-seeded UCLA (25-5), which has won 14 of its last 15 games and is coming off its third straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) regular-season title, will face the No. #2 Long Beach State (27-5). 2, Big West Conference champion) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach in the NCAA men's collegiate volleyball championship match which will be televised by ESPN. This is a battle between the #1 (Beach) and #2 (UCLA) teams ranked by the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) in the country.

May 4 – NCAA Championship – 2 p.m. PT
Walter Pyramid – Long Beach, California.
ESPN:https://www.espn.com/watch/

Live stats:https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=526099

UCLA and Long Beach split two four-set decisions earlier this season, with each team winning on their home court. The Bruins' last victory against Beach in the Pyramid took place on February 10, 2023 in four sets. This was Long Beach's last home loss as Beach has currently won 27 consecutive home games. The teams will now meet in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. In 2023, UCLA defeated Beach in the semifinals. In 2022, the Beach defeated UCLA in the semifinals. The teams have already met twice for the national championship: Long Beach beat UCLA in 2018, while the Bruins beat Beach in the 1970 NCAA title game. The championship game also features the last two head coaches to lead the United States men's national team to the Olympics, Long Beach's Alan Knipe (London 2012) and UCLA's. John Speraw, the current national team coach (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020) who will lead Team USA at the upcoming Paris Games in 2024. The Bruins will look to replicate the back-to-back pattern of the previous five programs to win the men's national championship ( UC Irvine 2012-13, Loyola-Chicago 2014-15, Ohio State 2016-17, Long Beach 2018-19). , [covid 2020]Hawaii 2021-22), UCLA 2023).

The Bruins have won at least two sets in all but one game this season, that 1-3 loss to top-ranked Long Beach State in February when they had a team-low percentage .214 season. With the home win over top-ranked Long Beach earlier this season (Feb. 10), UCLA beat the AVCA's No. 1-ranked team in each of the last four seasons – 2024: Feb. 10 Long Beach (3-1). at home); 2023: March 6 at Hawai'i (3-1) in Fairfax, Virginia; 2022: February 19 against Long Beach (3-2) at home; 2021: February 4 at BYU (3-1).

UCLA NCAA Tournament History This is the Bruins' 30th appearance in the NCAA MVB Championship game (59-10 overall record after beating Fort Valley State and UC Irvine in this year's tournament) and 28th time in the championship game of the NCAA…UCLA won the NCAA for the last time. title in 2023… This is the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bruins under head coach John Spéraw who compiled an all-time NCAA record of 13-4 while coaching at UCLA and UC Irvine — 2024 at Long Beach: d. Fort Valley St. (3-0) in the quarterfinals, d. UC Irvine (3-2) in the semifinals; 2023 at George Mason: d. Long Beach (3-0) in the semifinals and Hawai'i (3-1) in the title match; 2022 at UCLA: UCLA d. Pepperdine (3-1) in an opener and lost to Long Beach (2-3) in the semifinals; 2018 at UCLA: UCLA d. Harvard (3-1) in an opener; d. BYU (3-1) in the semifinals; lost to Long Beach (2-3) in the championship; 2016 at Penn St.: UCLA lost to Ohio State (2-3) in the semi-final… while at UC Irvine, (2006-lost in the semi-final against Penn St.; title won in 2007 against Purdue Fort Wayne; title won in 2009 against USC; title won in 2012 against USC)… UCLA has now qualified for the NCAA MVB championship game 28 times (20-7 record). The Bruins won the NCAA title in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2023… UCLA lost in the title game in 1978, 1980, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2018.

Player Ratings Merrick McHenrywho led the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in offense, has hit at least .400 in 26 of the last 27 games (22 of 27 have been at least .500)… Ethan Champlin leads the team with 15 double-digit kill matches this season and also leads the team in digs… Cooper Robinson has double-digit points in 13 of the last 18 games he has played and at least one ace in 8 of the last 10 games… Andrew Rowan has multiple aces in 12 games and the team has hit at least .350 in 18 games he has started this season… Grant Sloane has at least one ace in 10 of the last 12 matches he has played.

UCLA and rankings UCLA was ranked second in the final AVCA coaches' poll of the regular season. After entering 2024 as the top-ranked team in the AVCA preseason poll and the top two regular season lists, the Bruins have now been ranked second in the poll at one point given in seven of the last eight. seasons (not in 2021)… The Bruins rose to No. 1 in the AVCA poll in five seasons under John Speraw — 2024,2023, 2022, 2016, 2014…UCLA has finished a season ranked first in the AVCA poll 10 times (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023) over the years.

Ranking Notes UCLA began championship week ranked among the top 10 teams in the country in hitting percentage (1st-.370), aces/set (3rd-1.97), blocks/s (4th -2.52), assists (5th-12.00), and kills/s (6th-12.74)… So far in 2024, UCLA has 14 total blocking efforts in double digits ( Lewis, Loyola, Ohio St., UCSB, UCI, Long Beach 2x, Pepp, BYU, USC, GCU, at USC, GCU in MPSF, UCI in NCAA semifinals), five double-digit performances (Lewis -14, UCI-10, Pepperdine-10, Stanford-11, GCU-10) and hit at least .400 in 15 games (Ft. Valley St., Morehouse, UCSD, UCI, Pepp, BYU, at USC, Ohio St. .-h, Stanford, GCU, at CUI, CUI-h, at USC, Ft Valley St. in NCAA, UCI in NCAA)… Passer Andrew Rowan ranks top 10 in the nation in assists — 9th (10.15)… Merrick McHenry ranks 15th in blocks (0.97)… After recording a solo block in this year's home game against Long Beach, McHenry passed Garrett Muagututia (2007-10, 44) and moved into tops the school's list for career blocking. solos (currently has 48)… McHenry's current career attacking percentage of .516 would be a school record and make him the first Bruin in the rally scoring era (2001–present) to complete above .500…the Bruins have climbed into first place nationally in hitting percentage (.370 to start the NCAA) and look to lead the nation in the category for a third straight season (2023 a reached .382; 2022 reached .374).