While winning a national title in Men’s Volleyball was nothing new for the UCLA Bruins, the 2024 team seems to have brought some new eyeballs to the game. According to a tweet from the ESPN Public Relations account, the UCLA Men’s Volleyball averaged 255,000 viewers on ESPN, which was the largest audience since 2011. That was also up over 11% from a season ago.
The Bruins won their second straight National title with a thrilling 3-1 win over Long Beach State. The Bruins took down Fort Valley State in the first round and knocked off UC Irvine in the second round.
Ethan Champlin, Andrew Rowan, and Merrick McHenry were all named to the NCAA Championship all-tournament team. Champlin was named the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament.
A season ago, the Bruins beat Long Beach State in the semifinals, which was revenge for the 2022 Semifinals loss in 2022. It was the 21st NCAA Championship for the Bruins, but the first time they went back to back since the 1995-1996 seasons.