March 21, 2011

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The seventh-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team completes its four-match home stand this week, hosting No. 5 UC Irvine on Thurs., Mar. 24 in the final event in Pauley Pavilion. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Interior renovations for the 45-year old arena officially begin on Apr. 1 with completed work scheduled for Fall of 2012.

Thursday's match is also Club and High School Team Night. Teams must register by calling (310) 206-3444 by March 23. In addition, Men's Basketball ticket holders from Feb. 26 (vs. Arizona) or Women's Basketball ticket holders from Mar. 5 (vs. Washington State) can show their ticket stub at the door for free admission.

Darren Preston will call the audio play-by-play action on UCLABruins.com for the UCI match. Connor Reeves and Mike Sondheimer will give commentary.

The Bruins (13-9, 6-8) also travel to No. 14 UC San Diego on Mar. 26 for a 7 p.m. MPSF match at RIMAC Arena.

UCLA was off last week because of final exams, but enters Thursday's contest with a five-match winning streak. Two weeks ago, the Bruins defeated intersectional foes Penn State and Loyola-Chicago in five sets. Freshman Gonzalo Quiroga was named MPSF Player of the Week on Mar. 14 for his stellar play in both victories. Against Penn State, Quiroga converted 15 kills (.444), two aces and four total blocks to go along with no reception errors and six digs. Against the Ramblers, he produced a line of 18-0-27 (.667), two aces and three total blocks.

UC Irvine (12-10, 9-7) also was off last week and enters this week's showdown having won eight of its last 12 matches after a 4-6 start. The Anteaters recently lost a four-set decision to top-ranked USC on the road Mar. 12. In that match, UCI junior Carson Clark led all players with 27 kills and 29.5 points. UCLA leads the overall series against UCI, 53-12. Head Coach John Speraw (UCLA '95) owns a 10-9 record against his former coach Al Scates.

UC San Diego (7-15, 4-12) did not play last week, but beat Pepperdine on Mar. 12 in five sets. The Tritons have also scored conference victories against Hawai'i, Stanford and UC Irvine. UCSD has won three straight against UCLA, including two at RIMAC Arena. UCLA leads the overall series 48-3.

Following Thursday's match, fans will be provided the opportunity to take a photo on Nell and John Wooden Court. Athletics Staff will be on hand to facilitate this activity. Concessions and restrooms will also remain open during the post-match photo session.