Mitch Stahl stood at the service line, Pauley Pavilion silent before him. The sophomore middle blocker stared at the volleyball in his hands, breathing deeply. He was aware of the challenge before UCLA men’s volleyball: defeating the nation’s top-ranked team. Read more...

Photo: Sophomore middle blocker Mitch Stahl led UCLA men’s volleyball both offensively and defensively in its closely contested loss to Hawai’i Monday night. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

UCLA men’s volleyball enters spring quarter to face its final six conference games after going 1-1 over spring break. The team was looking to build off its dominant win over Cal Baptist on Thursday when they faced USC in the Galen Center Saturday. Read more...

Photo: Freshman opposite Christian Hessenauer(Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

Revenge was once again just out of reach for the men’s volleyball team. A week after failing to avenge an early-season loss to Long Beach State, No. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt junior middle blocker Trent Kersten and the Bruins struggled offensively against UCSB, accruing a .134 hitting percentage. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

Two hours and 42 minutes after Friday night’s opening serve floated over the net in Pauley Pavilion, lanky Long Beach State sophomore Eric Ensing halted UCLA’s home winning streak at three matches and cut any comeback aspirations short with one last kill. Read more...

Photo: Sophomore setter Hagen Smith had a career-high 64 assists in UCLA’s loss to Long Beach State, shattering his previous personal best of 51. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

UCLA men’s volleyball’s last matchup with Long Beach State proved to be a turning point in the season. The Bruins, entering the game 1-3 in conference play, dominated the 49ers for an easy 25-17 first set win. Read more...

Photo: UCLA and freshman outside hitter J.T. Hatch face Long Beach State, the only team ranked lower than the Bruins to have beat them, to beat the Bruins that are still ranked lower than UCLA, for the second time this season. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

At this point last season, the UCLA men’s volleyball team had everything to lose. The Bruins jumped out to an unprecedented 9-0 opening record, were led by a highly touted senior class and were projected to make a run for the NCAA title. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt freshman middle blocker Eric Sprague said that the Bruins have to play smart, be physical and give 100 percent all the time. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)

It wasn’t a showing of great dominance, consistency or finesse for UCLA men’s volleyball Tuesday night, but the team was able to leave Pauley Pavilion with a four-set victory over Cal State Northridge and another important conference win. Read more...

Photo: Freshman J.T. Hatch recorded a career-high 17 kills in UCLA’s 3-1 win over Cal State Northridge Tuesday night. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)