UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The UCLA men’s volleyball team couldn’t convert three match points, and Ohio State converted the only one it had to cap a thrilling five-set national semifinal Thursday night and deny the Bruins a chance to play for their 20th national title.
UCLA had leads of 15-14 and 16-15 but AVCA National Player of the Year Nicolas Szerszen’s fifth save closed out the Buckeyes’ 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 18-16 victory in Penn State’s Recreation Hall. Third-seeded Ohio State will meet top-seeded BYU, which eliminated No. 4 seed Long Beach State in four sets, in Saturday’s title match.