Once you have all the momentum, you have to keep your foot on the gas.
And a trip to your rivals across town might just be the best road to rev your engine on.
No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (14-0, 3-0 MPSF) will face No. 5 USC (8-1, 1-0) on Tuesday night at the Galen Center before heading to Pauley Pavilion for a Friday night rematch.
The Bruins are coming off a five-set victory against No. 4 UC Irvine on Friday, one that would not have been possible without a solid defensive effort.
“What’s different about this team is that we’re super perseverant,” said junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo. “Sticking through tough situations is definitely our strong suit.”
And that perseverance could prove to be crucial for coming out on top against the Trojans. While UCLA has a 35-18 record against the rival squad since 1999, including 10 wins in the past 11 matchups, USC got the best of it in the most recent meeting in April 2025 where the Trojans swept the Bruins at home to close out the regular season.
Outside hitter Dillon Klein, the 2025 AVCA First Team All-American, is one of five All-American Trojans who returned to the floor for coach Jeff Nygaard’s 11th season at the helm.
Klein currently leads the Trojans with 152 kills on a .418 hitting percentage. He is joined by middle blocker Parker Tomkinson, who is the tallest men’s volleyball player in program history at 7-feet. Tomkinson tallied 113 blocks in 2025, leading the MPSF with 1.15 blocks per set, and has currently totaled 21 this season.
Tomkinson is joined by middle blocker Wesley Smith, who sits atop the MPSF with 1.27 blocks per set.
The Trojans also boast the conference’s highest digs per set tally, meaning the Bruins will be faced with a potent defense in all areas of the court.
USC has not taken the floor since Feb. 13, when Irvine handed it its first loss of the season. The team was held to a .148 hitting percentage in the first frame and committed seven errors.
But it will take more than just shaking the rust off to take down the Bruins.
“We work really, really hard,” said coach John Hawks after UCLA’s victory against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 25. “That toughness we’re exhibiting in the gym is coming out on the court.”
It has been a mix of offensive production and defensive tenacity that has propelled the Bruins to a 14-0 record – their best start to a season since 1998 – and their own share of the MPSF leaderboards.
Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne currently leads the MPSF in hitting percentage with a .581 clip on 129 total attempts. Senior setter Andrew Rowan also continues to excel, leading the nation with 11.79 assists per set.
Defensively, redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly continues to anchor the Bruins’ receiving game and tops the conference with 109 total digs. Connelly has posted five double-digit dig performances in his last seven outings and had a recent career-high 15 against the Anteaters.
But it hasn’t just been individual performances that has fueled the Bruins’ continued success. The team is playing as a whole, and it is happening at a critical point in the season.
“We have a bit of a more cohesive group this year,” said senior outside hitter Zach Rama after the win against the Gauchos. “We’re all figuring out how to work better together.”
Rama, who was named to the AVCA All-American Second Team last season, has added a team-high 193 kills this season in pursuit of the same championship aspirations that the 2023 squad achieved during his freshman campaign.
And the Bruins will continue that pursuit in two matchups against USC.
“We’re staying positive and staying together,” Rama said. “If we focus on our execution and our side of the net, we know we have the talent to beat any team in the nation.”
Comments are closed.