Author Archives: Sagar Parikh

The Bruins were down 2-0, they were playing their rival USC at home, and the game was regionally televised. Lose, and the Bruins men’s volleyball team, 12-12, 5-10 MPSF at the time, would fall in serious danger of missing the conference tournament. Frankly, as coach Al Scates said, it would have been a disaster. But […]

The comeback is complete. The most unthinkable turnaround in men’s volleyball history was completed on Saturday when UCLA won its record 19th NCAA title. The No. 2-seeded Bruins started the season 12-12. But today won their first NCAA title since 2000 and ended any questions about the demise of their dynasty with a 30-27, 30-27, […]

When the Bruins line up to face Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne in the NCAA semifinals at Penn State today, there will certainly be a representation of the dichotomy between East Coast and West Coast volleyball. The No. 3-seeded Mastodons, representing the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, will be playing only their fifth match against a ranked team […]

When senior Dennis Gonzalez steps on the court at the NCAA Championships on Thursday, it will not be his first time starting for the Bruins. Gonzalez, after all, has been the men’s volleyball team’s primary starting setter for the past three seasons and is one of the top setters in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. […]

IRVINE “”mdash; In the press room following Saturday night’s championship win, outside hitter Damien Scott was asked for the key to the UCLA men’s volleyball team’s turnaround against the 49ers. Scott had a terse but powerful response: “Paul George.” Scott was referring to the career effort of junior outside hitter Paul George after the Bruins […]

IRVINE “”mdash; If there was any doubt, it’s over. Officially. These Bruins are for real, and they are going to the Final Four. Entering the MPSF conference tournament as the No. 7 seed, the UCLA men’s volleyball team completed its improbable run by defeating No. 4 Long Beach State 24-30, 30-28, 30-23, 30-24 in the […]

It was almost unthinkable. The Bruins were 5-10 in conference play and were on the outside looking in for the MPSF Conference Tournament. During that time, UCLA’s players and coaches talked about how they kept their goal in mind from the beginning of the season: Win their conference tournament, and win the national title. The […]