This post was updated April 23 at 10:24 p.m.
The Cougars have lined up on the other side of the net three times in the past week.
Each time, the result has been the same.
No. 1 seed UCLA men’s volleyball (28-1, 13-1 MPSF) defeated No. 5 seed BYU (21-12, 7-7) in four sets in the semifinal round of the MPSF tournament Thursday night at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah. The Bruins will now play in the third installment of their crosstown rivalry this season, facing No. 3 seed USC in the title match Saturday night.
Coming in, BYU hadn’t lost a conference tournament match at home since 2011. Building off that momentum, the squad controlled the game tempo early on. Despite eight kills from sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly in the first set, the Cougars consistently met the Bruins’ attack at the net.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth, so we had to adapt,” said senior outside hitter Zach Rama. “I think that’s been a theme with us this season. We come out not looking like ourselves, and it takes us a second to get comfortable.”
Solid defensive pressure from middle blocker AJ Cottle allowed BYU to take a 20-15 lead, and outside hitter Connor Oldani supplemented the effort to take a 25-20 set victory. Oldani tallied 30 total kills over the previous two matchups between these teams to end the regular season. He also led the Cougars in kills during the 2026 campaign on a .335 hitting percentage.
But with a group that saw six players earn All-MPSF honors this season – including four first-teamers – the Bruins were able to shift the energy back to their side of the net in the second frame. Rama opened the stanza with back-to-back kills, and BYU did not see the same attacking opportunities that allowed them to take the early lead.
“The team has a lot of trust in each other,” said coach John Hawks. “We were aware of how BYU played in that first set, but, over time, we were able to wear them down.”
By the early stages of the third set, which was characterized by seven combined service errors from both sides, Rama and Kelly had posted double-digit kills. UCLA took a 14-8 lead midway through the set, limiting BYU to a .000 hitting percentage up to that point. The Bruins have posted a higher hitting percentage than their opponents in all but one match this season.
For the Bruins, senior setter Andrew Rowan helped the offensive arsenal seem effortless.
The Trabuco Canyon, California, local broke the record for most career assists in UCLA men’s volleyball program history during the rally scoring era, tallying 4,347.
Rowan has been a vital piece of the Bruins’ offense since arriving in Westwood and currently sits at second in the conference with 10.30 assists per set. He also leads the way in service aces per set at 0.61. In 2025, Rowan led the team to a .364 hitting percentage, the second highest mark in the nation.
The Bruins took a 25-17 victory in the third set, fueled by 12 total kills on a .500 clip. And it continued to be nothing but smooth sailing for the rest of the night.
UCLA went undefeated in the regular season in the fourth set, and Thursday night was no different. A solo block by Kelly against Cougar setter Tyler Herget put the Bruins up 11-3, with the Provo squad struggling to sustain any type of consistent offensive attack.
“It’s all about our rhythm at that point in the game,” Rowan said. “We’ve seen everything, and we have a better feel for the game, so then we just have to take advantage of our personnel.”
Senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne helped fend off any last glimmer of hope during a quick BYU scoring run that narrowed its deficit to five, blasting a kill off a Rowan assist that put the Bruins up 22-16.
And ending the match in possibly the most fitting way was Rama, who assisted Kelly for a kill that punched the Bruins’ ticket to the tournament’s final game. Rama and Kelly combined for a total of 37 kills on a night where the offense prominently ran through the outsides of the court.
“We’re in a final playing for a tournament championship, so there doesn’t have to be much motivation on our side,” Hawks said. “We’ve been pretty steady and consistent most of the year with how we approach every match. It’s not going to be any different.”
