UCLA and Pepperdine Advance

UCLA provided an emphatic answer to questions about its selection as the at-large team in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinals.

The Bruins defeated Penn State, 30-20, 30-24, 30-27, Thursday night before 5,125 at Pauley Pavilion. On Saturday, they’ll try for their 19th NCAA title and first in five years, but they will have to go through top-seeded Pepperdine, which defeated Ohio State, 30-16, 31-29, 30-26, in the other semifinal.

The two teams split their meetings this season; UCLA beat the Waves in three games at home Jan. 19.

There were those in volleyball circles who questioned the Bruins’ selection over Long Beach State after they were upset in the quarterfinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament. The 49ers reached the final.

“People were saying that we didn’t deserve to be here,” UCLA outside hitter Jonathan Acosta said. “It’s a shame that a team as good as Long Beach State can’t be in it. The only way to prove everyone wrong is if we fulfill what we set out to do, which is to win today and win on Saturday.”

UCLA (26-5) took the first step with an impressive performance, even as it had to address potential problems with its lineup.

During the last two weeks, the Bruins had to settle on a new setter after starter Dennis Gonzalez broke his left finger before their upset loss to Cal State Northridge. Gaby Acevedo beat out Aaron Dodd during practices last week while the Bruins waited to find out if they would make their record 24th NCAA appearance.

Acevedo had 47 assists as they hit .353 compared with Penn State’s .179.

Middle blocker Allan Vince sprained his left ankle Tuesday during practice. UCLA Coach Al Scates waited until 10 minutes before the match to insert him into the official lineup.

Vince, a 6-foot-7 senior from South Pasadena High and Golden West College, had four kills in five attempts and two aces during a run of six consecutive points on his serve.

“I was getting mixed reviews [on playing], but the adrenaline started rushing through me,” Vince said.

UCLA exploited Penn State’s poor passing and the Nittany Lions (30-4) never developed their usually strong block at the net. Leading the offense was fifth-year senior Brennan Prahler, a surprise starter who played in only 28 of the Bruins’ previous 112 games.

Scates said he went with Prahler on a suggestion by Paul Johnson, his first-team All-American middle blocker. Prahler finished one short of a personal best with 17 kills; Acosta added 16.

“We haven’t had a set lineup like other teams have had,” Prahler said. “You’ve just got to be ready to go.”