UCLA men’s volleyball defeated defending national champion UC Irvine
Saturday, dominating the first two sets, then losing control in the third to drop it 20-25 before bouncing back to seal the win with a 25-18 fourth set.
Senior outside hitter Robart Page once again led the team in kills with 16, fellow senior outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga had four aces and senior middle blocker Spencer Rowe hit .600, but the strong play of the graduating class was not the only storyline of Saturday’s game.
After two years of standing on the sidelines, setter Michael Beals is ready to play. The redshirt junior has finally gotten his chance at a starting spot as he fills in for injured sophomore setter Steve O’Dell.
Historically, it has only taken Beals one season to make a big impact. A varsity baseball pitcher at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Beals only played one year of varsity volleyball but managed to lead his team to the 2010 Bay League championship and state championship.
After previously only experiencing playing time this season in a serving specialist capacity, Beals has now started four games and contributed in all of them. In UCLA’s big win over Irvine, Beals stepped up with 37 assists and an ace. He followed that up with an even bigger performance in the Bruins’ second matchup with the Anteaters on Saturday, adding 43 set assists, seven digs and two blocks.
“Even when I wasn’t starting I was very focused and ready to go at all times,” Beals said. “Now that I’m a starter, I think I put the work in and I know that I can do it.”
With no timetable set for O’Dell’s return, Beals has a real opportunity to aid the Bruins in their quest for UCLA’s 111th national title.
“Our offensive team production hasn’t dropped off very much, if at all, so I think we’re grateful we have someone as good as Beals,” said coach John Speraw. “I’m thrilled with the way he’s playing the game.”
The Bruins’s win streak has now reached nine games as they are undefeated in conference play and 9-1 on the season as a whole.
No. 1 UCLA will take on No. 3 Pepperdine in a tough matchup on the road Wednesday.
“We don’t feel any extra pressure because we just play one play at a time, one game at a time, one set at a time,” Rowe said. “That’s all we think about; we don’t get big-picture. That keeps any other outside thoughts away.”