Thursday, March 28

Men’s volleyball concludes road trip with four-set win over Ohio State


Coming off two consecutive defeats, coach John Speraw and No. 6 UCLA men's volleyball got back to winning ways with a four-set victory over Ohio State. (Alice Naland/Daily Bruin staff)


Men's volleyball


No. 6 UCLA3
Ohio State1

After being swept in two consecutive games, the Bruins wrapped up their six-game road trip with a win.

No. 6 UCLA men’s volleyball (4-2) defeated Ohio State (6-1) on Sunday in four sets to end the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.

The Bruins won the opening set in the match by a score of 25-16. Freshman outside hitter/opposite Cole Ketrzynski had six of his team-leading 17 total kills in the set.

Alongside his kills, Ketrzynski also contributed to the victory by notching three blocks and five digs. He said the Bruins’ success was due to their passing the ball well, giving him chances to score.

“When we are passing really well, that’s when I have a great game. It kinda depends on how the team is playing as a unit,” Ketrzynski said. “So when we are playing great as a team, I think it really helps me get open looks and good sets.”

On the season, Ketrzynski has 48 kills, just trailing freshman outside hitter Alex Knight, who has racked up 54 kills.

As UCLA lost both games going into the Ohio State matchup, coach John Speraw said it was good for morale for the Bruins to get a win against an undefeated team to close out the road trip.

“It feels good to end the road trip with a win. It makes the flight back home all the much better,” Speraw said. “At this point, though, it’s all about getting better.”

UCLA did not improve at the service line against Ohio State, as it matched the number of service errors it had in its loss to Penn State on Friday.

“We didn’t change anything, but we got in a good rhythm, and when you’ve got the momentum, you’re able to hit it hard,” Knight said.

Knight ended the game with 13 kills, three aces and three assists. He said after finishing up the team’s road trip in Pennsylvania, the Bruins will enjoy having a home crowd when they come back to Westwood for their next match.

“I think it’ll be different having a home crowd. It’ll be nice to have all the fans cheering for us instead of heckling us,” Ketrzynski said.

UCLA will continue its season back at home against No. 13 Princeton at the John Wooden Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Moran-Salguero joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2019 and contributed until 2020. He spent time on the men's soccer and men's volleyball beats.


Comments are supposed to create a forum for thoughtful, respectful community discussion. Please be nice. View our full comments policy here.