No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (20-0, 7-0 MPSF) is in the midst of a historic season, securing one of the best starts in program history in what could amount to its third national championship in four years. Integral to this recent success has been a core group of veterans, headlined by three-time All-American First Team setter Andrew Rowan and 2025 All-American Second Team outside hitter Zach Rama, both of whom have two national titles to their names. The two seniors are part of a core group of six soon-to-be graduates, five of whom are established starters. It is no secret that UCLA’s roster will look vastly different come next season. However, the question remains: Who is most likely to break out in 2027? Daily Bruin Sports’ men’s volleyball beat discusses the Bruins who are best poised to take their games to the next level.
Jacob Nguyen
Assistant Sports editor
Pick: Trent Taliaferro
Volleyball is not just in Trent Taliaferro’s blood – Bruin volleyball is.
The sophomore setter has been around the game his whole life, with his father, Brandon, serving as an assistant coach for UCLA in the 2023 season, when the Bruins defeated the Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors in the NCAA final match.
As a player, Brandon Taliaferro repped the blue and gold from 1997 to 2000, winning national championships as a sophomore and a senior. The former Bruin setter holds the program record for most career assists with 6,840, as well as the single-season record with 1,848 in 1998.
Between his father and the tutelage he likely receives in practice from Rowan, Trent Taliaferro has all the tools, background and support to be the next great setter in a lineage of UCLA legends.
However, the conundrum with setters is always determining whether high assist numbers are truly due to their expertise and control of the game or merely because of the skilled weapons hitting off of their passes.
For Taliaferro, I am confident it is the former.
While he will get the benefit of playing alongside a rising star in would-be junior outside hitter Sean Kelly, the projected pin hitter rotation for 2027 is far and few between compared to what it boasts now. Taliaferro would most likely be seeing heavy reps with unproven underclassmen like Grayson Bradford or Marek Turner, meaning much of the offense will center around his decision-making.
The tape shows he is built for this, considering he posted a career-high 47 assists in a four-set win over Stanford on March 6, 2025, when Rowan was out with an illness. In fact, his 47 assists matched Rowan’s 2025 season high at the time, a count the now-senior did not exceed until the next month.
Although Taliaferro has seen fewer opportunities this year, with the Bruins remaining wholly healthy, coach John Hawks has often called on No. 9 as a pinch server to disrupt opposing offenses and their flows. Simply put, the team and the coaching staff trust him – I see no reason why he should not break out.
And maybe most importantly, Taliaferro is the team’s dedicated hype man – standing at the end of the pregame hype crowd to deliver each starter their unique handshakes. If the veterans trust him enough to do that, surely he can be trusted to take on their mantle in 2027.
Jaelyn Chung
Daily Bruin contributor
Pick: Micah Wong Diallo
Three words.
Micah Wong Diallo.
All indicators point toward 2027 being the year he officially has his breakthrough moment.
The most compelling argument for Diallo’s future dominance lies in his current season with the Bruins and the trajectory he is likely to follow. After appearing in only five matches last year, he has become an ironman for UCLA, featuring in all but two contests this season. His offensive efficiency is elite, maintaining a .471 hitting percentage while racking up 83 kills. This level of consistency against top-tier programs proves he can handle the challenges of a skilled starting rotation.
Beyond the stat sheet, Diallo is a cornerstone of the UCLA defense. With 49 total blocks and only five blocking errors, his spatial awareness allows the Bruins to funnel attacks exactly where they want them. Middle blockers often peak in their senior years as their read-blocking intuition sharpens, meaning Diallo’s current performance is merely the floor for what he will achieve next season.
Hawks’ increasing reliance on the junior middle blocker is a massive vote of confidence. As Diallo continues to refine his strategic ball placement and lateral speed, he will transition from a reliable contributor to the focal point of the Bruins’ game plan. In 2027, expect Diallo to move from most likely to break out to a definitive All-American contender.
Steven Chaparyan
Daily Bruin contributor
Pick: Micah Wong Diallo
What a difference a year can make.
Across his first two seasons, Diallo saw action in just six matches.
But this season, his number has been called.
And he’s delivering.
The Los Angeles local has started in 18 of the Bruins’ first 20 matches this year, and whether because of developing his game or simply receiving more playing time, he is on an upward trend. Having posted 83 kills in 2026 so far, Diallo’s kills-per-set tally is up from 1.08 last season to 1.46 this season. He is also attacking more efficiently, improving his hitting percentage from .400 to .471, a clip that ranks third on the team and second among starters.
Blocking alongside two-time First Team All-American senior Cameron Thorne means the standard certainly could not be higher, but Diallo is proving he’ll do more than just fill in for Thorne next season – he will excel.
Defensively, his 49 blocks this year are more than triple his total blocks in the past two years combined, and he is tallying 0.35 digs per set after putting up 0.17 last season, demonstrating his budding passing ability.
Put simply, Diallo is consistently supplying offensive firepower and defensive tenacity to an already star-studded veteran lineup, and he’s doing it efficiently. In just his first year as a starter, he has hit at least .500 in 10 matches so far.
The only difference next year? He will be one of the star veterans himself.
And that is exactly what this group will need to replicate this season’s historic success after the experienced core departs.
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