UCI’s Trevor Clark (12) hits against Ball State in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday May 9, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
UCI’s William D’Arcy (5) and Trevor Clark (12) block against Ball State in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday May 9, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
UCI players celebrate their win against Ball State in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday May 9, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
UCI’s William D’Arcy (5) hits against Ball State in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday May 9, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
UCI’s William D’Arcy (5) hits against Ball State in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday May 9, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
LOS ANGELES — Unseeded UC Irvine men’s volleyball is headed to the NCAA championship game for the first time since 2013 after beating fourth-seeded Ball State 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19) on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.
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The Anteaters will face the winner of Saturday evening’s match between Hawai’i and Long Beach State in the finals.
“First and foremost, I’d like to full credit to the boys, and you went out there and had a fantastic game,” Will D’Arcy, the team’s only senior, told reporters. “For us, it just means more volleyball, so that’s an opportunity that we are beyond excited for and looking forward to for sure.”
Andrej Jokanovic led UC Irvine with 18 kills on 39 attempts, and Trevor Clark added 14 kills and six blocks. Andreas Brinck had 13 kills and William D’Arcy chipped in 12 kills.
The Cardinals’ Patrick Rogers had a match-high 20 kills and seven digs.
“Patrick Rogers is the best outside here in the country,” Kniffin said. “And I know that’s going to bring the full force on us next year for some younger outside hitters that think they’re vying for that spot. He is a fantastic volleyball player.”
The Anteaters came out with the confidence earned from a regional final upset of top-seeded UCLA and won the first set 25-19 on a block by William D’Arcy and Trevor Clark.
Jokanovic, the AVCA Freshman of the Year, led the offensive efforts in the first set with four kills on 10 total attacks, and one of his strikes boosted the Anteaters to a 3-0 scoring run that pulled them ahead 13-11.
Two sets had passed without either team serving up an ace, which only underscored the pressure that each team applied from the service line. It forced the Anteaters to hustle into position and quickly deploy their attack.
“Some of that credit service pressure is going to do some scrappy digs,” Kniffin said.
“I don’t know that I had a lot of expectations in terms of what the numbers were going to be at the end of the match. I did expect us to stay committed and compete the whole way through it, and you saw some nice big changes in all the sets. Those are two teams that are working really hard to stay in the moment.”
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UCI fell behind early in the second set but was able to overcome a persistent four-point deficit. Ball State outside hitter and Player of the Year candidate Patrick Rogers, who had only three kills in the first set, came out revitalized in the second set and delivered nine scoring blows.
A combined offensive effort by Trevor Clark and Brinck late in the set had cut the Anteaters’ deficit to 24-23 before Will Patterson delivered the set-winning kill to even the match at one set apiece.
UC Irvine was undeterred.
“We’re just trying to play our hearts out, especially when we’re down a point,” Clark said. “Every point matters and we are going to celebrate everything that matters, so I think once we get that energy switch of celebrating every point like we won, I think it does a huge thing for us.”
Jokanovic had collected 14 kills by the time the third set had ended, and one of them grazed the top of two Ball State defenders’ heads before hitting the court for the set-winner in the third frame.
He took control of the left side of the net, jumping up to deflect shots and staying ready for passes from setter Cameron Kosty (53 assists). Jokanovic got the Anteaters in position to put the set away when he threw down a scoring attack to bring the score to 24-23.
Patterson kept the Cardinals in the game with a point off a block, but UCI regrouped after a timeout to finish out the set and pull ahead 2-1 in the match.
In the final set, Andreas Brinck had three straight kills from the left side of the net to earn the Anteaters a 19-15 advantage. Rogers registered three consecutive kills for himself later in the match, then Kosty served up UC Irvine’s first ace to shift the momentum and set his team up for the win.
UCI was making its ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament and its eighth appearance in the semifinals. Its last NCAA title was won at Pauley Pavilion in 2013 — David Kniffin’s first season as head coach.
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