As UCLA Athletics takes a break for the summer, professional sports are still in full swing, with many Bruins, past and present, representing their teams. Throughout the summer, Daily Bruin Sports will take a look at the standout performances of current and former UCLA athletes as we count down the days until fall.
Men’s Volleyball: Andrew Rowan, Cooper Robinson, Ethan Champlin, Micah Ma’a, Merrick McHenry, Karch Kiraly
While some Bruins are setting out to prove themselves, others have already left legacies in Westwood.
A handful of former UCLA athletes have returned to represent Team USA at the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, a competition that brings together the top 18 teams globally for three weeks of preliminary play before final rounds. The squad completed its first two weeks of action with an overall record of 6-2 and will play its final preliminary series beginning July 15 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Spearheading the contributions from the Bruin bunch have been outside hitter Ethan Champlin, setter Micah Ma’a and middle blocker Merrick McHenry. While Ma’a played his final season in Westwood in 2019, Champlin and McHenry were part of the UCLA squads that won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
Champlin, who is returning from the 2025 VNL season, recorded a total of 27 kills and 17 digs to help Team USA take its opening three matches. In the group’s second outing against Germany, the three-time AVCA First Team All-American tallied eight kills and 10 digs on a .462 clip.
Ma’a also had his best performance so far within the early stretch of the competition. The Kaneohe, Hawai’i, local had at least six digs in each of the team’s first four matches, serving as an anchor on the defensive end.
Coach Karch Kiraly – now in his second season at the helm with the Americans – shuffled his star-studded lineup from match to match. Kiraly, who graduated from UCLA in 1983, led the Bruins to a 124-5 record and captured three national championships. He also saw success at the international level, leading to his induction into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Kiraly’s rotations meant that McHenry’s production mainly came in the latter half of the squad’s first eight matches. Across the four most recent outings, McHenry notched 18 kills, nine blocks and four digs, hitting at a clip of at least .750 in two of those bouts.
Team USA currently sits at second in the league, trailing only Japan – which beat the U.S. 3-2 June 27. While setter Andrew Rowan and outside hitter Cooper Robinson did not contribute much during the first two preliminary weeks, the pair still has a chance to see ramped-up playing time in Illinois before a potential quarterfinal appearance.
The group may have failed to secure a bid to the knockout rounds last year, but it certainly seems poised to make it this time around.
Men’s Volleyball: Grayson Bradford and Rafael Urbina
Despite not seeing extensive playing time with UCLA last season, two Bruins showcased their talents on the international stage.
Rising sophomores opposite Grayson Bradford and setter Rafael Urbina earned a gold medal with the U.S. Men’s U21 National Team at the 2026 U21 Pan American Cup, which ran from June 23 to 28 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The pair helped Team USA post a perfect 5-0 record, with four of those wins – including the gold medal match – coming in sweeping fashion.
Bradford began the tournament strong during the group stage with a four-kill performance in the squad’s opening match against the Dominican Republic. His offensive contributions came at pivotal moments in the match, with one of his kills helping the U.S. capture the second frame and another setting up match point before the 3-0 victory.
The Manhattan Beach, California, local followed this up with another four-kill outing in the next match against Venezuela – one that the Americans controlled on both sides of the net. Team USA finished the match with 14 more kills and four more blocks, while boasting nine aces to Venezuela’s zero.
Urbina played a more limited role throughout the tournament but still provided value during the action he saw. In addition to facilitating attacking opportunities for his teammates, he contributed one block and two digs across the competition.
Named the 2025 Colorado High School Player of the Year, Urbina is very experienced at the international level despite his young age – earning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 U19 NORCECA Continental Championships, while being named the best setter of the tournament. He also represented his country at the 2025 U19 World Championships in Uzbekistan.
Surrounded by a highly experienced roster featuring top names throughout high school and collegiate volleyball, the pair of Bruins cruised through the elimination rounds.
After earning a quarterfinal bye, the American squad swept Costa Rica in the semifinals and did the same to Canada in the final match. Across the two outings, Team USA won five sets by at least six points – three of which came by double-digit victory margins.
While Bradford and Urbina may not have seen much playing time in their freshman campaigns, the Bruin roster will look notably different next season after the departure of program-defining talent. Dominating international competition may be exactly what the two need to show they should play elevated roles for UCLA come 2027.
Men’s Water Polo: Chase Dodd, Ben Liechty, Peter Castillo, Jack Larsen, Nicolas Saveljic, Max Irving
In the past 12 years, UCLA men’s water polo has captured six national championships. Take players that were part of all six title runs, put them on one roster, and the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team radiates excellence.
Team USA hosted China, Montenegro and Italy for a seven-match exhibition series from June 12 to July 12 at several locations throughout California. The American roster features eight Bruins – current and former – but only six took to the pool throughout the series.
The squad’s first match was also its most dominant victory. Facing China on June 12, utility Jack Larsen, who played his final season in Westwood in 2024, opened the match with Team USA’s first goal. Two-time ACWPC First Team All-American attacker Chase Dodd, whose UCLA career ended at the conclusion of last season, joined Larsen on the scoresheet with three goals of his own, tied for the highest mark on the squad.
Rising junior utility Peter Castillo tacked on one more goal, with the U.S. going 3-for-4 on penalties to China’s 1-for-2, and converting three of ten power play opportunities en route to a 16-8 victory.
The opening contest was followed by a three-match series against Montenegro, where all bouts were decided by two or less points. The U.S. took the first match 12-11 before dropping the next two 18-17 and 18-16, respectively. As the schedule progressed, other Bruins also began to enter the rotation for coach Dejan Udovicic.
Rising senior attacker Ben Liechty, UCLA’s third-leading scorer in 2025, posted nine goals across the three matches on a .462 clip. Four of those goals came in the first outing, when Liechty’s attacking prowess helped the Americans fend off a strong Montenegrin start.
Attacker Nicolas Saveljic, who played for the Bruins from 2017 to 2021, added three goals across the series. However, Montenegro converted its penalties at a higher percentage than the U.S. in the second match and converted its power plays at a higher percentage in the third, better taking advantage of scoring opportunities to take the slight edge in those two outings.
After splitting its first four matches, Team USA played its final three against Italy, once again only winning the first of the trio. Something to celebrate, though, was the return of team captain attacker Max Irving, who was competing with Italian club Pro Recco and captured the Serie A1 championship June 29.
Irving was part of three national title-winning UCLA squads from 2014 to 2017. Named a 2017 First Team All-American, the Long Beach, California, local tallied eight total goals in the series against Italy on a .354 shooting rate.
Despite finishing with a 3-4 record across the month-long exhibition, Team USA still put Bruin excellence on full display.
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