UCLA men’s volleyball enters spring quarter to face its final six conference games after going 1-1 over spring break.
The team was looking to build off its dominant win over Cal Baptist on Thursday when they faced USC in the Galen Center Saturday.
The Bruins started off looking like the team that handed the Lancers a 3-1 defeat, opening the contest against the Trojans with a first set score of 25-19. UCLA had the advantage after three sets, holding a 2-1 lead, but went 0-2 in crunch time to drop an eventual 3-2 decision.
Sophomore middle blocker Mitch Stahl anchored the Bruins over the course of both games, setting season highs with 11 kills and 14 points against Cal Baptist and leading UCLA in offensive production against USC with a hitting percentage of .400.
The loss puts the Bruins at 7-9 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play and 11-9 overall.
Three of No. 18 UCLA’s five remaining opponents this season rank among the top-five teams in the nation. No. 1 Hawai’i, No. 2 UC Irvine and No. 5 Pepperdine all pose a serious threat to any remaining postseason aspirations held by the Bruins.
UCLA stands at eighth in MPSF rankings with two weeks left to play in conference competition.
Things don’t get any easier for the Bruins as they host the top-ranked Warriors in back-to-back matchups on Monday and Tuesday in Pauley Pavilion.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.