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UCLA is one win away from volleyball history.
After a dominant semifinal sweep of No. 2 seed Hawai’i, the No. 3 seed UCLA men’s volleyball team (22-6, 10-2 MPSF) is headed to the NCAA championship match. On Monday, the Bruins will face No. 1 seed Long Beach State (29-3, 8-2 Big West) at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. A win would mark UCLA’s third straight national title and the program’s 22nd overall.
“I’m going to give my 110% and go die on the court with my brothers,” said redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson.
The Bruins and the Beach are no strangers. The Southern California rivals faced off twice in the regular season, with Long Beach winning both matches and dropping only one set. Those were UCLA’s only back-to-back losses to the same team this season.
Despite hitting over .300 and recording 82 kills across the two matches, the Bruins struggled to defend against Long Beach’s strong serving and attack. They also committed three times as many reception errors as their opponent.
“We’ve been preparing for it all year,” Robinson said. “We have a lot of stats on them. We played them twice, and it obviously didn’t go our way, but we’re so fired up and we cannot wait to play.”
Heading into the final, UCLA players are focusing on treating every point with equal importance—regardless of the score.
“A big part of our endgame this week is that 0-0 mentality,” said junior setter Andrew Rowan. “We’ve blown a lot of leads in the past.”
Since their last meeting in February, both teams have undergone lineup changes. For UCLA, redshirt sophomore David Decker, who had 14 kills in two games against Long Beach, has been replaced by junior outside hitter Zach Rama. Freshman Sean Kelly has also stepped into a bigger role. In the middle blocker spot, Sean McQuiggan has taken over for Matthew Edwards as he returns from a shoulder injury.
Long Beach has also faced challenges. Key attackers Sotiris Siapanis and Daniil Hershtynovich, both All-Americans, have been sidelined by injuries since March and April, respectively. The pair combined for 36 kills in their two wins over UCLA earlier this season.
Still, freshman setter Moni Nikolov has anchored Long Beach’s offense. Named AVCA Player of the Year—like his brother Alex before him—Nikolov has led a team that’s lost only three matches this season, all to top-five programs.
Coach Alan Knipe said it took time for the team to rally around its freshman star.
“Whether everyone wants to agree with it or not, all great teams have a great player, and Moni’s our great player,” Knipe said. “But to be able to reduce or eliminate the ego and not be in conflict with your guy who is your guy is part of the maturity of the team.”
UCLA coach John Hawks, in his first year, has taken a more collective approach. He credited multiple players—including Kelly and McQuiggan—for their roles in the semifinal victory. That depth mirrors the philosophy of former coach John Speraw, who emphasized strength off the bench.
“We’re a family right now,” Robinson said. “Our leaders are stepping up in the right ways and just all clicking at the same time.”
No men’s volleyball program other than UCLA has ever won three straight titles. Since 2012, six teams have managed back-to-back championships but none has claimed a third.
Hawks now has the chance to match the legacy of legendary coach Al Scates, who led UCLA to several three-peats in the 1970s and ’80s.
“I mean, shoot, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of,” Hawks said.
He believes this team is built for the moment.
“They have hearts of champions, and you can see it in just the way we play,” Hawks added.
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