LOS ANGELES – Trinity Western dropped the first match of their California tour, falling 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-19) Monday afternoon to the two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA Bruins, who are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA National Collegiate MVB Preseason Poll.
John Obi had a team-high eight kills for the Spartans, while setter Anselm Rein had 21 assists. Libero Tate Calles, who made his first appearance in a TWU uniform this season, had four digs.
UCLA was led by Zach Rama who had 11 kills, Cameron Thorne, who had 10 kills, and Ido David, who had nine kills. Andrew Rowan had 32 assists.
The Bruins hit .523 on the night to the Spartans .133. The Bruins had a 7-1 edge in blocks and a 6-2 advantage in aces.
The loss snaps a three-match winning streak TWU had over UCLA, which saw the Spartans earn all three victories in three sets. The last time the Spartans lost to the Bruins was Oct. 15, 2005. TWU now has a 5-3 all-time record against UCLA.
The Spartans, who are currently ranked No. 5 in the U SPORTS Top 10, are now 14-4 overall this year with a 7-3 record in Canada West league play.
The Spartans own a 28-22 all-time record against NCAA Division I opponents.
North American Challenge
Jan. 3 vs. Pepperdine – 12 p.m. | The Gold Mine | Long Beach, Calif.
Jan. 3 vs. Long Beach – 7 p.m. | Walter Pyramid | Long Beach, Calif.
Jan. 4 vs. UC San Diego – 4:30 p.m. | The Gold Mine | Long Beach, Calif.
TWU’S ALL-TIME RECORD vs. NCAA Division I Opponents || 28-22
BYU – 2-2
Cal State Northridge – 1-1
George Mason – 0-1
Lewis – 2-2
Long Beach – 4-2
Pacific – 3-1
Pepperdine – 5-5
Purdue Fort Wayne – 2-0
Stanford – 0-1
UC Irvine – 0-1
UCLA – 5-3
UC Santa Barbara – 2-2
USC – 2-2
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now prepare to compete in the North American Challenge, with matches against No. 10 Pepperdine (Jan. 3 at 12 p.m.), No. 2 Long Beach State (Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.) and No. 18 UC San Diego (Jan. 4 at 4:30 p.m.) in the North American Challenge.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men’s rugby and women’s and men’s disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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