LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Men's volleyball made the trip to Pauley Pavilion in a rematch with #2 UCLA Saturday evening. While the Lions caused problems in the third set, #2 UCLA came away with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory, as VU fell in a 25-18, 25-16, 25-23 sweep. The Blue and Gold drop to 6-11, 1-5 and the Bruins (14-3, 4-0) win their eighth in a row.

The Lion lineup was led by Nick Dvorak, who compiled six kills on a sharp .750 hitting percentage. It stood as the freshman's sixth errorless game this season and second in a row. Micah Sybesma claimed five kills and a service ace. Grant Dvorak marked the night with four kills, two aces, and a team-best five digs. Brock Henderson connected for a match-best 20 assists.

The Bruins were led by a season-high seven kills from Luca Curci hitting .667. David Ido found four aces to help UCLA lead at the service line 9-4. The Bruins also earned lopsided leads in block assists (16-2) and a consistent hitting percentage of .371.

What Happened?    
Set 1 – Eight of the first 12 points between both teams came by way of service errors. In fact, more than half of the game's total service errors (32) came in the opening stanza. The Bruins dictated rhythm to start, but both Dvoraks supported VU's best scoring groove midway in the set to trail 14-13. UCLA went on a 5-1 run before Logan Freemon's finish brought the Lions back within five (20-15). Vanguard, however, went without a kill for the remainder of the set as the Bruins rode a match-high .467 hitting percentage (9-2-15) to steer into a 25-18 victory in the frame.

Set 2 – The second period came as the hardest for the Blue and Gold as they struggled in attack, converting at a 0.08 (6-4-25) rate. Despite this, VU broke off with a 4-1 run to start the set as kills from Phinehas Wiley, Sybesma, and an ace from Grant Dvorak capped a crisp opening for the visitors. The Bruins scored five unanswered to regain control but committed two straight errors to level the score at 6-6.  Tied seven apiece, UCLA pulled away with a dominant serving run from Ido. The senior slapped four service aces in VU territory to trigger a 6-0 Bruin cushion and cement a 13-7 advantage. Peter Albert and Nick Dvorak had the final Lion points of the set, but VU could ultimately not recover from UCLA's push.

Set 3 – VU gave their best punch in the final frame by matching the Bruin's efficiency. The Lions hit .333 (11-3-24) to UCLA's .300 (15-6-30) and forced six ties and two lead changes out of the defending champions.  The Lions issued another confident start, leading 8-5 with the help of aces from Wiley and Sybesma. Vanguard continued to lead the fray with a right-side shot from Grant Dvorak and an attacking error from the Bruins. Controlling most of the set by a 3–4-point margin, Nick Dvorak picked his spot through the middle to help the Lions be the first team to post 20 points.

UCLA came alive late with a collective 5-1 swing, as a cut shot from Curci flipped the Bruins on top 22-21. The Blue and Gold were undone by the Bruins' final ace of the night to trigger match-point and a kill crushed through the middle concluded the contest at Pauley Pavilion.

What's Next? The Lions will continue their three-game road trip with an MPSF matchup at CUI on Thursday, March 20, at 7 pm.