UCLA Sweeps; UC Irvine Is Upset

Steve Klosterman had 14 kills and Damien Scott finished with 10 as second-seeded UCLA swept Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne in three games in the men’s NCAA Division I volleyball semifinals on Thursday.

Three other Bruins registered eight or more kills, and Dennis Gonzalez had 40 assists in the 30-25, 30-23, 30-28 victory.

UCLA, which extended its winning streak to 13 games, will play Penn State, which upset top-seeded UC Irvine, 32-30, 30-23, 31-33, 27-30, 15-13, Saturday night for the championship. The second-seeded Bruins are seeking their 19th men’s title.

C.J. Macias led third-seeded IPFW (23-7) with 13 kills and eight digs, and Josh Stewart had 10 kills.

Tied at 18-18, the Bruins (25-12) scored four consecutive points, capped by Gonzalez’s service ace, as they outscored the Mastodons, 12-5, to close out the second game.

Matt Proper finished with 22 kills and 10 digs, and Nate Meerstein had 13 kills for the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions (21-8).

Jayson Jablonsky and Matt Webber each had 20 kills, and Brian Thorton had 62 assists for the Anteaters (27-5), who were making their first appearance in the national semifinals.