This post was updated Aug. 9 at 7:01 p.m.
As UCLA Athletics takes a break for the summer, professional sports are still in full swing, with many Bruins, past and present, representing their teams. Throughout the summer, Daily Bruin Sports will take a look at the standout performances of current and former UCLA athletes as we count down the days until fall.
Men’s volleyball: Andrew Rowan, Cooper Robinson, Ethan Champlin, Micah Maʻa, Merrick McHenry, Karch Kiraly
History has repeated itself for the Americans.
Team USA men’s volleyball earned a silver-medal finish at the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League after a 3-2 loss to Poland in the Aug. 2 final match in Ningbo Beilun, China. This marked the first time the United States squad medaled in the tournament since 2023, when it once again finished second behind the Poles.
Coach Karch Kiraly’s group – which features five former Bruins on its VNL roster – split its four matches in the final week of preliminary play. The team began the week in dominant fashion with back-to-back sweeps over China and Brazil, winning five of six sets across the two outings by at least five points.
And it was two former Bruins who spearheaded the attack in the victory over China.
Outside hitter Ethan Champlin led the U.S. with 12 kills on a .476 clip, adding three digs and two successful receptions. Fellow pin hitter Cooper Robinson burst onto the scene in week three of preliminary play after seeing limited action through the first two weeks. Robinson tallied nine kills on a .467 clip against China, also leading the squad with seven digs.
But two much more formidable opponents awaited the U.S. before the elimination rounds.
The Americans took the floor against Bulgaria on July 18, which put up a strong front on both ends of the net. The Bulgarian squad posted nine more blocks than the U.S., while outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov exploded for 27 kills to take down Team USA in four sets.
Former Bruin middle blocker Merrick McHenry raked in five kills, two blocks and one dig on a .556 hitting percentage, but it was not enough to stop the onslaught of attacks from the Bulgarian side.
The U.S. then suffered a second straight loss in its final preliminary match the next day against Poland – foreshadowing the result of the eventual gold medal match between the same two squads.
The Poles tallied 10 more attacks and six more blocks than the Americans, which hindered Team USA’s ability to consistently string together scoring opportunities. The U.S. had just one player – outside hitter Matthew Anderson – post double-digit kills, while McHenry added three kills of his own on a .333 clip.
Team USA concluded preliminary play with an overall record of 8-4, earning the fifth overall seed entering the elimination rounds. Awaiting the squad in the quarterfinal round was Italy, who took down the U.S. in the first week of preliminary play and came into the match as the fourth overall seed.
While the two squads were nearly even in attacks and blocks, it was 14 American aces to Italy’s five that allowed the U.S. to generate offensive momentum. Champlin contributed two of the aces, alongside eight kills, including a back-row attack that clinched the first set 25-22.
Champlin was joined by Anderson and opposite Jake Hanes, with the two combining for 25 kills for the American side. Anderson, who hit at a .611 rate in the bout, set up match point for Team USA before a Champlin kill secured the straight-sets victory and a berth in the semifinal round.
Facing yet another opponent who bested the U.S. in preliminary play, Japan opened the semifinal match with an early 12-9 lead in the first set. Blocks from McHenry and Champlin – who combined for four of Team USA’s nine total blocks – helped their squad sustain a scoring run and take a 21-17 lead before a hitting error from Japan allowed the U.S. to take set one 25-19.
But Japan shifted the momentum in the next two sets, once again grabbing early leads in both but not faltering as the sets progressed. Three Japanese players combined for 43 of the squad’s 57 total kills, and the group constantly met the American attackers at the net to deny scoring opportunities. Japan also tallied 20 more digs than the U.S., and this defensive stronghold helped the group take the second and third sets.
Facing elimination and a tight fourth set, Robinson produced two straight scores to put Team USA up 21-17 and force a Japan timeout. The Americans rode that momentum to a six-point victory in the fourth set and did not let up in the deciding frame.
A 5-2 Japanese run gave the group its first lead of the final set, but a service error combined with a Champlin ace put the Americans back in front. Robinson’s score off the block set up match point, and an Anderson kill sent the U.S. to its fourth-ever VNL final.
But, no different from the squad’s past three final appearances, it came just short of gold.
McHenry paced the group of former Bruins with 11 total kills in the final match on a .588 clip. He and Hanes put the U.S. up 9-8 in the first set with back-to-back kills, but this was the final lead the group would see in the frame before a 25-21 defeat.
Team USA then strung together two solid sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match. McHenry tallied three kills and one block in the second frame, helping fend off a late four-point scoring run by the Poles. Through the first two sets, McHenry had totaled five kills on six total attacks.
Facing elimination, Poland bounced back in an extremely tight fourth set after a back-and-forth start to the frame. Champlin’s sole block of the match evened the score at 13 apiece, and following a few Polish aces and another McHenry kill, the teams once again were tied at 23. Poland took the final two points of the set – the latter off a block – and sent the match to a fifth set.
With the Americans’ hopes of gold hinging on one final frame, they took an early 5-4 lead and seemed poised to potentially control the conclusion of the match. But it was a 4-1 scoring run that followed that gave the lead to Poland – a lead that the U.S. would fail to overcome.
Despite a kill from Robinson – his only of the match – and a McHenry block that set the score at 13-9, Poland netted two of the final three points of the match to capture its second consecutive VNL title.
The trio of McHenry, Champlin and Robinson ultimately combined for 20 kills, four blocks and six digs in the match. While former Bruin setter Micah Maʻa played an integral role in Team USA’s preliminary play, his production significantly decreased in the final rounds – he tallied just three digs across the team’s three elimination matches. Fellow Bruin setter Andrew Rowan saw very minimal playing time throughout both stages of play.
Despite coming just short of gold, the group still made a notable leap from finishing No. 11 and failing to make it out of preliminary play in last year’s tournament.
And while questions still remain surrounding what the U.S. roster will look like for the 2028 Summer Olympics, several former Bruins seem poised to contend for a spot on the big stage.
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