LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Wildcats were not the same level of team as the inaugural meeting in Georgia. Fort Valley State pushed 20-time national champion UCLA until the final stages of two the three men's volleyball sets of the 3-0 final Thursday evening.

FVSU (0-2) scored the match's opening point of the match on a Jaxon Hicks kill, held three early one-point leads and hung tough until UCLA had to score four of final five points for the 25-18 opening set final. The host Bruins showed their mettle in the middle set with an early advantage and wrapped up the set with the final five tallies (25-12). After trailing 4-1 early, the Wildcats tied the match three times early with two off a Chey Cooper kill and an ace. FVSU edged ahead, 10-9, and a Cooper winner deadlocked it for a fourth time, 15-15, before the Bruins had to put together a big 8-1 finish for the 25-17 score to end the match.

Cooper downed a match-best 11 kills to go with seven digs and an ace for FVSU. Hicks added seven kills and Oshane Farquharson had three kills. Jose Gallardo handed out 20 assists while he dug six attacks and chipped in two kills of his own. Libero Jamil Scott dug six attacks on the FVSU defense.

Ethan Champlin recorded a match-best 13 kills. UCLA hit at a rate of .427 as a team for the three sets.

De'vonte Payton and Farquharson teamed up for a tandem block for FVSU's final first set lead, 4-3. The visitors hung close to within two points four more times with the final at 11-9 and stood late at 21-17 before the Bruins finished the set.

FVSU wraps up its high-powered three-match road trip on Friday, Jan. 5. The Wildcats stay in Los Angeles to take on the Trojans of USC in a 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST first serve.

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