MVB Goes the Distance to Take Down Buckeyes

The No. 2 UCLA men's volleyball team defeated No. 11 Ohio State in five sets on Friday night in the opening match of the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge played in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Scores of the contest were 25-18, 25-15, 23-25, 23-25, 15-8. No. 12 USC defeated No. 3 Penn State in four sets in the Challenge nightcap. Freshman Ido David led three Bruins in double-digit kills with 14. Cole Ketrzynski and Ethan Champlin added 11-each for UCLA which hit .359 for the match behind sophomore setter Miles Partain.
 
The University updated its fans admission policy on Friday evening and the Bruins will now welcome fans to Saturday's volleyball matches. Check out the fan attendance guidelines posted at the following link https://uclabruins.com/sports/2021/9/20/ucla-athletics-fan-attendance-policy.aspx before heading to campus. There will be no admission charge for Saturday's Pac-12 / Big Ten Challenge matches.
 
UCLA grabbed a 7-5 lead in set one after a kill from Guy Genis. Ohio State came back to even the score at 8-all. With the score tied at 11, the Bruins used kills from Ketrzynski and David around a couple of Buckeye errors to move in front 15-12. UCLA upped its lead to 19-15 after back-to-back kills from David. An ace from Champlin made it 21-16. A Genis swing produced a 24-18 advantage and the Bruins captured the set, 25-18, on an ace from David.
 
UCLA jumped out to a 6-2 edge early in set two following a Ketrzynski kill. When the Buckeyes closed to 6-4, UCLA rallied to move in front 11-7 on a kill from David. A Merrick McHenry swing pushed the Bruins to a 15-8 edge at the media timeout. A series of service errors left UCLA with a 20-14 advantage. Partain's kill was good for a 22-15 lead. David and McHenry teamed up on a block for 24-15 and Partain finished off the set with an ace.
 
Ohio State moved out to a 2-5 lead to start set three. UCLA pulled even at 7-each and took its first lead of the set on a Champlin kill at 8-7. The score was even at points 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. A kill from Ketrzynski and a block by Genis/Partain put UCLA up 16-14. A Partain spike left the Bruins up 19-17. OSU leveled the score at 19 and at 20. A Champlin swing and a Buckeye error put UCLA back up by 22-20. However, OSU answered with three straight to go in front 22-23. Ketrzynski tied the score at 23 with a kill, but Ohio State registered the next two for the win.
 
In set four, the score was tied all the way to 7-all. A David swing and a Buckeye error put UCLA in the lead 9-7. OSU pulled even at 9 and the score was level at points 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. A Champlin kill and a Buckeye error handed UCLA an 18-16 edge. Kills by Champlin and J.R. Norris IV upped the margin to 20-17. Ohio State answered with the next three points to pull even at 20-all. The visitors came back to knot the score at points 21, 22 and 23 before going up 23-24. A Buckeye blocked terminated the set at 23-25.
 
In set five, UCLA owned a 5-3 lead after kills from Ketrzynski and Partain. The margin grew to 7-4 on a Norris kill. The lead was 9-5 after Champlin's service crawled over the net and fell to the hardwood. Another ace from Champlin lifted the Bruins into an 11-5 advantage. Champlin's kill from the back row put the Bruins at match point, 14-7. Partain delivered the winning point with his sixth kill of the match.
 
UCLA will meet No. 3 Penn State on Saturday night in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom at 7:30 p.m. The Buckeyes will square off with the Trojans in the first contest of the night at 5 p.m.