In its biggest game of the season, top-seeded UCLA found an unlikely hero.
Sixth-year captain JR Norris IV of the Los Angeles suburbs was benched in his final game for his hometown team. But when he was called upon, the veteran made his minutes count, hitting an impressive .727 with five hits and eight kills.
Norris wasn’t the only star in UCLA’s 3-1 win over No. 2 Hawaii. Three Bruins, Ido David, Alex Knight and Merrick McHenry had double-digit kills. David hit .298 and led all players with 23 kills.
Another LA State native, freshman Andrew Rowan, had the biggest game of his career, dishing out 60 assists in his first national championship game.
The Bruins’ talent was on display this afternoon, as it has been all season. The main reason the team lost just two of its 33 contests was the sheer depth of the field.
UCLA seemed to be in control from the start against Hawaii. After winning the first set and going up 19-13 in the second quarter, the Bruins seemed poised to sweep the championship game. But a late run and some defensive success from Hawaii in the second set put the Warriors back in the contest with a 33-31 win in two sets in the evening.
But UCLA regained its early form and won the final two sets by the same score, 25-21, for a stress-free national title.
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UCLA wins for a record 20th straight year #NCAAMVB Championship, beat Hawaii 3-1! π #GoBruins | #UCLA121 pic.twitter.com/gCUBsVZaksβ UCLA M. Volleyball (@UCLAMVB) May 6, 2023
It marks UCLA’s 20th national championship in program history, 15 more than Pepperdine, whose five national championships are tied for second among all programs.
Hawai’i had won the previous two national championships before falling to its third straight.
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