UCLA’s Andrew Rowan, from left, Merrick McHenry and Cooper Robinson rise to block a shot by Fort Valley State in the second set of a NCAA men’s volleyball tournament match Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in the Walter Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/ SCNG)
UCLA middle blocker Guy Genis, left, looks toward the ball as setter Andrew Rowan returns a shot against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA outside hitter Cooper Robinson, left, hits against Fort Valley State outside hitter Jaxon Hicks, center, and middle blocker Saferino Dour during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA middle blocker Merrick McHenry, left, reacts with outside hitter Ethan Champlin after scoring against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA middle blocker Merrick McHenry prepares to serve against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA libero Matthew Aziz dives for a dig against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA head coach John Speraw looks toward the video board during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal against Fort Valley State on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ethan Champlin #20 of UCLA Bruins spikes against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ido David #16 of UCLA Bruins reacts after scoring against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA outside hitter Ido David goes for a spike during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal against Fort Valley State on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA outside hitter Cooper Robinson, center, hits against Fort Valley State outside hitter Isaiah Fedd, left, and middle blocker Saferino Dour during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ido David #16 of UCLA Bruins spikes against Outside Hitter Chey Cooper #22 of Fort Valley State during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA middle blocker Guy Genis, left, spikes past Fort Valley State middle blocker Saferino Dour during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ido David #16 of UCLA Bruins spikes against Outside Hitter Chey Cooper #22 of Fort Valley State during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Libero Diego Cardona #18 of Fort Valley State reacts against the UCLA Bruins during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Libero Diego Cardona #18 of Fort Valley State reacts against the UCLA Bruins during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ido David #16 of UCLA Bruins hits against Opposite/Middle Blocker Raheem Thomas #16 of Fort Valley State during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
Outside Hitter Ido David #16 of UCLA Bruins scores past Outside Hitter Jaxon Hicks #17 of Fort Valley State during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA’s Andrew Rowan, from left, Merrick McHenry and Cooper Robinson rise to block a shot by Fort Valley State during the second set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA fans react after a point during the third set of the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament quarterfinal against Fort Valley State on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
UCLA outside hitter Ethan Champlin prepares to serve against Fort Valley State during the first set of their NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-ɫ̳/SCNG)
LONG BEACH — The UCLA men’s volleyball team took its first step toward defending its NCAA title with a three-set victory against Fort Valley State in a quarterfinal match on Thursday at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid.
The top-seeded Bruins strung together wins of 25-14, 25-15 and 25-15 against the eighth-seeded Wildcats, the first HBCU institution to qualify in tournament history.
UCLA (24-5) will play fourth-seeded UC Irvine, which on Tuesday, in the semifinals on Thursday.
The Bruins were coming off a five-set loss to Grand Canyon in the championship match of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament on April 20 at UCLA, which ended their 12-match winning streak.
“It worked out we were able to lose and still move on and now that’s over,” UCLA coach John Speraw said. “Now you’ve got to win and move on, and so I think there’s always a little added extra pressure there too. I thought we handled it pretty well. I thought there was a little bit of nerves.”
The Bruins played Fort Valley State (17-9) during the Wildcats’ inaugural season two years ago in Fort Valley, Georgia, and UCLA won in three sets. The teams met again in their season opener in January and the Bruins also swept, but Speraw said the Wildcats have come a long way in a short time.
“A few years ago, it wasn’t a good volleyball match and I think, now, we were all in,” Speraw said. “You can see the scores, and they made us earn every single point.”
Fort Valley State held a 10-8 lead in the second set, but the Bruins scored eight of the next nine points behind strong serves from Guy Genis.
Andrew Rowan then served five straight winners to put UCLA ahead 22-12.
“It’s always tough to get out there the first time,” Speraw said. “No matter who you’re playing, there’s always nerves. It’s always a new environment, a new feeling.”
UCLA finished with an attack percentage of .521, much better than its season average of .370, which led the nation.
Merrick McHenry and Ido David each had seven kills without an error, while Ethan Champlin had a team-high eight kills with two errors.
“It’s probably the biggest correlation between winning and losing is offensive hitting percentages,” Speraw said. “Everybody hit real well, so it was a team effort, in that regard.”
