Hey, how about that #7 Bruin men's volleyball team? Coach Scates got his 1200th win, more than any other coach in the history of college volleyball, against #10 Long Beach State last week. Wins against #1 Stanford on Friday and unranked Pacific on Saturday will boost the Bruins chances for a bid into post-season play.
As usual, there are several Southland teams ranked among the top 10 nationally in the AVCA poll. Cal State Northridge and Pepperdine are tied for 3rd; USC is 6th; UCLA is 7th, UCI is 8th, UCSB is 9th, and Long Beach State is 10th.
UCLA plays in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Only the top team in the league gets an automatic bid to post-season play, and right now that would be Stanford. The next couple of teams also usually get bids, and those would be BYU and Cal State Northridge as of now. The rest of the league is fighting to move up as high as possible at the end of the season to improve their chances for a bid. UCLA is a long shot, but a couple of wins this weekend along with losses by other teams could be enough to earn the Bruins a chance for post-season play.