UCLA volleyball player Hagen Smith finds mental clarity in surfing

The early morning sky began to brighten as the car sped west down Sunset Boulevard. UCLA men’s volleyball player Hagen Smith’s fingers were crossed as he looked out the window toward the horizon. “So far, from here, it’s better than I thought,” he says, scanning the morning surf as the car turned onto the Pacific […]

UCLA men’s volleyball suffers loss to CSU Northridge

It was a scenario that has become all too familiar for the UCLA men’s volleyball team. After dropping a crucial first set to Cal State Northridge Thursday night, the team battled back to win the second and fourth sets before dropping the fifth in overtime and losing the match 3-2. The loss was unexpected and […]

UCLA men’s volleyball falls to Pepperdine in four sets

UCLA men’s volleyball senior captain Spencer Rowe ran up the sideline in Pauley Pavilion, clapping his hands emphatically and staring his teammates in the eyes. The set score was 23-22 in favor of opposing Pepperdine. “Right now! Right now!” the middle blocker yelled, crouching to level his 6-foot-6-inch frame with his teammates, desperately trying to […]

UCLA men’s volleyball to play UCSD, hopes to end streak

In the past week, everything that could go wrong for UCLA men’s volleyball has gone wrong. The team has been plagued by injuries, struggled with offensive production and failed to execute on defense. These factors have all added up to the longest losing streak of the season. While these setbacks can account for the team’s […]

UCLA men’s volleyball loses to UC Santa Barbara 3-0

UCLA men’s volleyball is currently suffering through an array of injuries – sprained ankles, stress fractures and tendonitis to name a few – but it was defense during its 3-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara Wednesday night that was the team’s true achilles heel. With five players – four of which were starters – nursing […]

UCLA men’s volleyball suffers weekend sweep by Hawai’i

Emotions were high for both coaches and players on Saturday night after UCLA men’s volleyball fell to the University of Hawai’i for the second time in two nights. While the team had exhibited energy on the court, diving after balls and making strong plays, after Saturday’s 3-2 loss coach John Speraw described his team as […]