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UCLA coach John Speraw is doing more than just helping add more NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams — he’s making sure the programs have a marquee non-conference match in their first season.
Speraw unveiled on Wednesday his team’s 2022 regular season schedule that will feature a mid-season road trip to Georgia for non-conference matches against Morehouse and Fort Valley State.
Both Morehouse and Fort Valley State are among the six historically black colleges and universities from the SIAC that will start men’s volleyball programs next season. These SIAC schools were able to add volleyball in part because of a $1 million grant from USA Volleyball and the organization Speraw helped establish, First Point Volleyball Foundation.
Larry Wrather, a former Charleston assistant coach and All-MIVA outside attacker at Ball State, will serve as the inaugural head coach for Fort Valley State. Weather’s first recruiting class for the Wildcats features five players who were selected to the AVCA High School All-American Watch List.
Morehouse has yet to publicly announce its roster for its inaugural season.
UCLA ended last season at No. 6 in both the national coaches poll and national media poll and nearly missed the final at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.The Bruins also return multiple All-MPSF starters, including pin-hitter Cole Ketrzynski who spent the offseason playing for Canada in the FIVB U21 World Championship.
UCLA will open its Georgia road trip against Morehouse on March 25 before traveling to play Fort Valley State on March 26.
These will be the Bruins’ final non-conference match of the season.
This is not the first time Speraw scheduled his team to travel across the nation to play a new program. UCLA in 2020 traveled to upstate New York to open the season against the second-year program Daemen.
2022 UCLA regular season schedule
Jan. 6 at UC Santa Barbara
Jan. 7 vs. UC San Diego (at UC Santa Barbara)
Jan. 8 vs. CSUN (at UC Santa Barbara)
Jan. 15 vs. Princeton
Jan. 21 vs. Ohio State
Jan. 22 vs. Penn State
Jan. 27 vs. CSUN
Jan. 29 vs. Lewis
Feb. 4 at UC Irvine
Feb. 5 vs. UC Irvine
Feb. 9 at UC San Diego
Feb. 11 at Long Beach State
Feb. 19 vs. Long Beach State
Feb. 23 vs. Concordia-Irvine
Feb. 25 at Concordia-Irvine
March 3 vs. Grand Canyon
March 4 vs. Grand Canyon
March 11 at Stanford
March 12 at Stanford
March 25 at Morehosue
March 26 at Fort Valley State
March 31 at USC
April 2 vs. USC
April 7 at Pepperdine
April 9 vs. Pepperdine
April 15 at BYU
April 16 at BYU