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Check out all the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament semifinal matches to follow today and how to follow the matches live.
No. 1 seed UCLA (24-5, 11-1 MPSF) vs. No. 4 seed UC Irvine (20-10, 7-3 Big West)
Match vitals: 3:30 p.m. in Long Beach, California
Follow live: Live stats, Live video
Season series: UCLA leads 2-0
Last meeting: UCLA defeated UC Irvine in four games in February to sweep the home-and-home series.
All-time series: UCLA leads 62-24
How they got here: UCLA after receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament swept Fort Valley State in the quarterfinals. UC Irvine received the final at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and swept Penn State in the quarterfinals.
NCAA Tournament record: UCLA (58-10); UC Irvine (9-3)
NCAA Tournament appearances: UCLA (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024); UC Irvine (2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2024)
NCAA Tournament titles: UCLA (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2023); UC Irvine (2007, 2019, 2012, 2013)
UCLA player accolades this season: Merrick McHenry (MPSF Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF); Andrew Rowan (First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF); Ethan Champlin (First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF); Grant Sloane (All-American Honorable Mention, Second-Team All-MPSF); Cooper Robinson (All-American Honorable Mention, Second-Team All-MPSF)
UC Irvine player accolades this season: Connor Campbell (All-American Honorable Mention); Max Grigoriev (All-American Honorable Mention, First-Team All-Big West); Hilir Henno (National Offensive Player of the Year, Big West Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Cole Power (Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Brett Sheward (Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West)
What to know: All-American setter Andrew Rowan isn’t spending too much time thinking about the last meeting against UC Irvine. It wasn’t because the offense struggled – the team hit more than .400 in a four-game victory in February. Rowan said Wednesday, though, both teams have changed so much since that meeting three months ago it’s a completely different gameplan. UCLA enters the semifinals leading the nation with a .374 attack percentage and has hit more than .400 in six of the last eight matches. The Bruins have three pin-hitters – Ethan Champlin, Cooper Robinson and Grant Sloane – who are hitting more than .300. Robinson also leads the team with a 2.64 kills per game average, including having a combined 45 kills on a .427 attack percentage in the two regular season meetings against the Anteaters. UC Irvine outside attacker Hilir Henno is second in the nation with a 4.78 kills per game average and was named on Wednesday the National Player of the Year. Henno had at least 15 kills and hit more than .400 in both matches against UCLA. UCLA coach John Speraw also said Wednesday that Henno, a native of France, has the potential and talent to one day make the French roster for the Olympics. This matchup will be the first time coach Speraw faces UC Irvine in the NCAA Tournament since leaving the school after the 2012 season to become the head coach at UCLA. Speraw with UCLA is 13-8 all-time against his former school.
No. 2 seed Long Beach State (26-2, 9-1 Big West) vs. No. 3 seed Grand Canyon (26-4, 10-2 MPSF)
Match vitals: 6:30 p.m. in Long Beach, California
Follow live: Live stats, Live video
Season series: Did not play each other this season
Last meeting: Long Beach State defeated Grand Canyon in four games in the NCAA Tournament opening round last season.
All-time series: Long Beach State leads 2-0
How they got here: Long Beach State after winning the Big West championship to qualify for the NCAA Tournament swept Belmont Abbey in the quarterfinals. Grand Canyon won the MPSF championship to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and swept Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
NCAA Tournament record: Long Beach State (20-11); Grand Canyon (1-1);
NCAA Tournament appearances: Long Beach State (1970, 1973, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024); Grand Canyon (2023, 2024)
NCAA Tournament titles: Long Beach State (1991, 2018, 2019); Grand Canyon (none)
Long Beach State player accolades this season: Mason Briggs (Co-National Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Clark Godbold (All-American Honorable Mention); Aidan Knipe (Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Sotiris Siapanis (First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Simon Torwie (Co-National Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big West); Lazar Bouchkov (Big West All-Freshman Team); Skyler Varga (All-American Honorable Mention, All-Big West Honorable Mention)
Grand Canyon player accolades this season: Camden Gianni (First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF); Nic Slight (First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF); Cameron Thorne (First-Team All-American, Second-Team All-MPSF); Jackson Hickman (Second-Team All-American, Second-Team All-MPSF); Rico Wardlow (All-MPSF Honorable Mention)
What to know: All-American outside attacker Jackson Hickman still thinks about the last time Grand Canyon played Long Beach State. Hickman during the offseason rewatched multiple times the match footage of the Beach beating the Antelopes in the NCAA Tournament opening round last year. The senior will now have an opportunity to avenge that season-ending loss, but will have to do it in one of the most difficult environments in college men’s volleyball. Long Beach State, the host school for the NCAA Tournament, is on the nation’s longest active home winning streak at 26 matches and has never lost a NCAA Tournament match on its home court. Long Beach State leads the nation in blocks and has limited opponents to a nation-best .186 attack percentage. Middle attacker Simon Torwie leads the Big West and is second in the nation with a 1.34 blocks per game average. The 2024 Co-National Defensive Player of the Year has at least five blocks in three of the last four matches, including six blocks in the Big West Tournament finals against UC Irvine. Towrie also had a match-high eight blocks along with 10 kills and zero errors on a .909 attack percentage in the victory against Antelopes last season. Grand Canyon middle attacker Cameron Thorne has a nation-best 1.36 blocks per game and has a combined 26 blocks in four postseason matches. Thorne and fellow starting middle attacker Rico Wardlow combined for 13 kills and zero errors on a .722 attack percentage against Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. Setter Nic Slight is third in the nation with a 10.52 assists per game average and has guided the offense to the fifth-best attack percentage in the nation at .347. Pin-hitter Camden Gianni is in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.55 kills per game average, including a team-high 12 kills in the quarterfinals win. Gianni also had a match-high 18 kills in the loss to Long Beach State last season.