Five Bruins Earn MPSF All-Academic Honors

Five Bruin were named to the 2022 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Men's Volleyball All-Academic Team in an announcement on Monday by MPSF Executive Director Foti Mellis. Sophomore outside hitter Ethan Champlin, redshirt freshman middle blocker Guy Genis, junior outside hitter Alex Knight, sophomore setter Miles Partain and redshirt sophomore opposite Kyle Vom Steeg were each honored by the MPSF for their outstanding achievements in the classroom.

Champlin was a first-team NVA/AVCA All-America selection and a first-team All-MPSF pick in 2022. He was named to the All-NCAA Tournament team after producing 21 kills, 4 aces, 7 digs and 3 blocks in matches vs. Pepperdine and Long Beach. Champlin had at least one ace in 9 of the 12 MPSF matches and fired off a career-best 6 aces vs. CUI(h). He tied the school record with 4 consecutive aces in a match at UC San Diego. For the season, Champlin ranked 27th in the NCAA in aces/set (0.39). He finished the season with a team-high 13 double-digit kill matches.

Genis was selected the MPSF Freshman of the Year and finished the 2022 season ranked 15th nationally in blocks (0.96 per set). He was a second-team AVCA All-America pick. Genis hit at least .500 in 17 matches in 2022. He led or tied for the team lead in block assists in 14 matches, including at Stanford (3/12) when he posted a career-best 9 BAs.

Knight started 15 of the last 16 matches and posted 10 matches with 7 or more kills, including 4 double-digit efforts. He totaled 19 multi-dig matches and 11 multi-block matches.  Knight registered a .943 serve reception rate on 349 attempts during the 2022 season. He recorded a season-high 14 kills with 6 block assists at BYU and had a season-high 11 digs at USC.

Partain was named the 2022 MPSF Player of the Year, a first-team NVA/AVCA All-America and a finalist for Lloy Ball Award as nation's top setter in 2022.  He set the Bruins to the highest hitting percentage in the NCAA this season (.374) and an attack percentage of over .300 in 17 of the last 18 matches. During the course of the season, Partain earned both Molten/MPSF Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was selected as Off the Block's National Setter of Week after UCLA hit .384 and .364 in the USC matches. In 2022, he compiled 19 multi-kill matches and ranked seventh in the NCAA in set assists (10.21). He also rated 10th in MPSF in digs (1.60).

Vom Steeg saw action in 18 matches over the course of the season. He posted a couple of aces in his primary role as a serving substitute. Vom Steeg added a season-best 5 kills in a match at Fort Valley State.

The UCLA men's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals and returned to the No. 1 spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for a nine-week run which was its longest stretch on top since a 13-week stay in 1995. The total of 22 wins in 2022 marked the first time UCLA has registered a 20-win campaign since 2018. Its nine-match winning streak during the season was the longest by a Bruin team since the 2016 squad opened the year with wins its first 10 matches. The Bruins also captured the MPSF regular season title for the first time since 1998.

Each MPSF All-Academic selection must carry a 3.00 or better cumulative grade point average, competed in at least half of the team's matches and have completed at least one full academic year at UCLA prior to the season for which the award is received to have been nominated for honors.