Tied at six points to open the game, Andrew Rowan was forced into a first touch to begin the Bruins’ rally.
After the senior setter’s pass flew to Zach Rama, the senior outside hitter looked as if he was about to rise for the swing.
But a last-second, mid-air fake out into a set brought the ball toward outside hitter Sean Kelly for a clean swing and the sophomore’s fifth kill on just as many attempts, scoring all but two of the Bruins’ first seven points.
In what would be his second-highest usage game since March 6, Kelly led No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (25-1, 12-1 MPSF) to a 3-1 victory over No. 8 BYU (20-10, 7-6) at Pauley Pavilion in the Bruins’ second-to-last game of the regular season. With the Thursday night win, the Bruins will need a second victory over the Cougars on Saturday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the MPSF tournament, which is set to kick off April 22 in Provo, Utah.
Kelly’s offensive firepower was on immediate display, posting a game-high 16 kills on a .462 hitting percentage. The Manhattan Beach, California, local opened the game with UCLA’s first two points out of the pipe and was perfect through his first eight attempts until a tight, out-of-bounds call ended his hot streak near the end of the first set.
“Sean’s a great volleyball player,” said coach John Hawks. “Every week he comes in, he’s got a new goal for himself. He’s a guy that we really count on.”
Having taken on a more prominent back-row role this season, with redshirt junior opposite David Decker manning the right-side pin, Kelly has excelled off second- and third-tempos. His versatility was evident against the Cougars, securing points from several spots on the court in numerous ways, including a short tip in the second set after switching his attacking hand to make the stanza 9-5.
His back-line presence has also facilitated growth in his passing game, as he notched five digs Thursday. Kelly is second on the team in total digs and has recorded three-plus digs in all but three games this season. Kelly also said his passing development can be credited to focusing on his technique in practice.
As a unit, the Bruins totaled 30 digs – their 10th game of the year achieving that mark – which was integral to staying in system and preventing Cougar attackers from capitalizing on strikes at the net.
“We were passing really well in the start and, in system, our team is really tough to stop,” Kelly said. “Our setter was great, and we were just finding the open spot. But we have to keep that throughout the whole game. Second (set) we dipped, so we’ll be better.”
Redshirt junior libero Christopher Connelly, who was one of five Bruins with five-plus digs, captained the facilitation. The Naples, Florida, local consistently made key hustle plays off loose and free balls to extend possessions, including a first-set kill by Decker after several clutch saves and a free ball recovery when BYU almost began celebrating.
Although ricocheting balls are not part of explicit game plans, Connelly said the team is able to get some reps in practice to prepare for those situations.
“It’s tough to simulate those, but we definitely get a lot of it, especially because our B squad is great, and they put a lot of pressure on our starting squad,” Connelly said. “It’s really tough. Especially the adrenaline in the moment, it helps you go for that ball because you want to win.”
The Bruins also took advantage of strong service pressure, securing their fifth double-digit ace performance of the season, with many coming on long serving runs.
Rowan capitalized on a 4-0 serving run late in the first stanza, including two aces, allowing UCLA to double BYU’s score and help set up a 25-14 opening set victory.
Decker continued that energy late into the game when the Bruins posted a side-out and forced the final frame into a one-point match following a 9-7 BYU lead. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, local eventually went on a 7-0 scoring run, including three aces, to secure a career-high six on the night. After Decker’s string of serves, the Cougars never led for the remainder of the game.
And among the serves that were not immediate aces, many forced BYU to scramble, with several ricocheting back to UCLA’s side on first receive, thus preventing the Cougars from setting up their attack.
“We came in and served tough – we got them uncomfortable,” Hawks said. “That’s really what it came down to, is us being able to fight off their serves.”
Despite a second set loss during which the Cougars swung at a .400 clip, as well as a momentary scare in the third set after middle blocker Cameron Thorne went down on an awkward landing and grabbed at his right ankle, the Bruins came through with a balanced game courtesy of Rowan’s ability to collaborate with multiple teammates.
Thorne racked up four kills to close the night, good for nine total on a .643 hitting percentage after fighting through his initial pain and seemingly preferring his left leg on landings. Additionally, the senior’s lateral quickness helped limit both sides of the pin and funnel the Cougars’ shots into Bruin blockers, with Thorne totaling five denials on the night.
“He tweaked it, but he said he’s fine,” Hawks said. “These guys have that warrior mentality – they want to be out there. … These guys don’t want to let anyone down. I’m super pumped for all of them.”
The middle was an especially favorable option on Thursday for Rowan, whose connection with junior Micah Wong Diallo afforded the middle blocker seven kills across the second half of the game, good for 11 total and his second-highest tally this year.
The Los Angeles local almost ended his night errorless, until he was called for a lift after nearly palming the ball on a match-point volley.
But after BYU’s final serve, Rowan immediately connected with Diallo to secure the victory.
The Bruins face the Cougars again for the final regular-season bout that will also be a commemoration of their graduating class.
“It’s amazing to have a group of guys on the court that know how to talk to each other, know how to compete, and they want to play hard for each other,” Hawks said. “There are so many positive things about having senior leadership on the court. And the guys truly love each other, which is a really cool thing to see. Obviously, winning helps out, but these guys are determined.”
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