The Bruins opened conference play with a win in their first five-set match of the year. No. 4 UCLA (9-2, 1-0 MPSF) defeated No. 9 Stanford (7-4, 0-1) in its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matchup of the year Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion by a score of 3-2. Read more...

Photo: Junior middle blocker led UCLA men’s volleyball with a season-high 25 kills against No. 9 Stanford, posting a .553 hitting percentage. Gyimah has recorded 115 kills across 11 games played this season. Last season Gyimah led the NCAA in hitting percentage last season after hitting for .528. (Alice Naland/Daily Bruin)

The Bruins are coming home to begin conference play. No. 4 UCLA men’s volleyball (8-2) will host No. 9 Stanford (7-3) and No. 7 BYU (4-3, 0-1 MPSF) at home Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Read more...

Photo: Senior setter Micah Ma’a leads UCLA men’s volleyball this season with 350 assists, and has 32 kills. Ma’a said the Bruins will approach every conference match individually if they are to post a similar record as last season. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)

The Bruins finished their trip to the Midwest with two wins, both against top-10 opponents. No. 5 UCLA men’s volleyball (8-2) defeated No. 10 Lewis 3-1 at the Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Illinois, on Saturday after besting No. Read more...

Photo: Senior outside hitter Dylan Missry posted 18 kills against Lewis. Missry was one of three Bruins to post more than 10 kills in the match.(Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)

The Bruins began their stretch of six matches against top-10 opponents with a win. No. 5 UCLA (7-2) defeated No. 7 Loyola Chicago (6-3) by a score of 3-1 on Thursday night at Gentile Arena. Read more...

Photo: Junior middle blocker Daenan Gyimah posted a season-high 18 kills against No. 7 Loyola Chicago, hitting for .739. Gyimah is second in team kills, with 78 in nine matches played this season. Gyimah led the NCAA last season with a .528 hitting percentage. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)

The Bruins will travel to the Midwest to face two top-10 opponents this week. No. 5 UCLA (6-2) will play No. 7 Loyola Chicago (6-2) and No. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt junior opposite Brandon Rattray (left) said UCLA men’s volleyball will have to emphasize defense against the two top-10 teams it will face this week. Offensively, Rattray leads the Bruins with 102 kills in eight matches played. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)

Improvements in the Bruins’ passing game could be key in finding success as men’s volleyball faces one of the toughest stretches of games on their schedule. Read more...

Photo: Coach John Speraw said senior setter Micah Ma’a has been under stress in the passing game. Ma’a has posted 275 assists in eight matches so far this season. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)