The original Pauley Pavilion hosted its final athletic event Tuesday, and the UCLA men’s volleyball team appropriately left the historic venue with a win. The Bruins swept the UC Irvine Anteaters, a surprising result after several recent nail-biters and the level of talent UC Irvine had previously shown.
No. 7 UCLA (14-9, 7-8 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) came into the match riding a five-game winning streak and a two-week rest from competition. The team kept the first set against No. 5 UC Irvine (12-11, 9-8) tight until a late offensive burst allowed a 25-21 win.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Jeremy Casebeer led all Bruins with 10 kills. Three players each contributed two aces through a night of tough serving. This kept the Anteaters from developing much offense; they ended up with a .183 clip compared to the Bruins’ .279.
Despite a 12-8 deficit in the second set, UCLA tied it at 24 apiece and took the set after two Irvine errors. Both teams kept pace with each other through half of the third set, but a 7-1 run allowed the Bruins to build a cushion and soon take a 25-21 win.
UCLA will aim to extend its success tomorrow when they travel to play UC San Diego. The No. 14 Tritons (8-15, 4-12) had been struggling until a very momentous home victory last night against No. 3 Ohio State.