No. 1 seed UCLA men’s volleyball’s (20-5, 10-2 MPSF) first round bye propels itself directly into Friday’s MPSF semifinal match against No. 4 seed and tournament host Pepperdine.

This post was updated April 24 at 10:57 p.m.
No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (20-5, 10-2 MPSF) dropped its regular season finale in sweeping fashion to No.

No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (19-4, 9-1 MPSF) will have a chance to extend its seven-game win streak in the Battle for LA against No. 5 USC (19-5, 7-3 MPSF) on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion – which is also senior night – and Saturday evening at the Galen Center.

Two players charged down the field, colliding.
Idle no longer, those on the sideline launched into the air as they cheered on their fellow teammates.
Despite the ostensible winner and loser of the game simulation drill, three things remained constant among every player and coach at Spaulding Field on Saturday morning: smiles, laughter and dancing to the blaring music.

Adversity breeds growth.
While training, conditioning and watching film help, nothing educates more than failure.
The Antelopes swept the Bruins on Friday.
But just 24 hours later, No.

A formidable defense is a prerequisite for championship-caliber play.
When playing in its seventh and eighth straight conference matches Friday and Saturday evening against No. 13 Grand Canyon (14-8, 3-5 MPSF), No.

Among explosive jumps, haste side-to-side shuffling, dives onto the hardwood floor and backward-bending fingers, the physical demands of volleyball batter its athletes.
Therefore, rest is pivotal.

Back-to-back losses against the Beach put the Bruins’ three-peat hopes in jeopardy – the team hadn’t lost consecutive matches in either of their recent championship campaigns.

This post was updated Feb. 27 at 11:48 p.m.
Matthew Aziz’s eyes pierced the court as he hunched over.
Standing in front of the other players on the sideline, the redshirt junior libero observed the match without blinking.

Sometimes, it takes a punch in the mouth to come back stronger.
No. 3 UCLA men’s volleyball (6-3) took the brunt of the blow against No.