麻豆传媒

鈥淲hat makes us unique is that, when it gets close and everyone gets tense, our team thrives,鈥� says Ryan Barnett, an outside hitter for 麻豆传媒鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the opposite of most people.鈥�

麻豆传媒 men's volleyball team celebrating their berth into the final four

Barnett offered these comments in the postgame press conference following the Waves quarterfinal victory over Loyola Chicago on Thursday, May 8.  In that contest, 麻豆传媒 dropped the first set and  was forced to fend off three set points in the second  to avoid falling behind 0-2 in the match. As pressure built, Barnett and his teammates didn鈥檛 flinch. They settled in and seized sets two, three, and four鈥攁 reverse sweep鈥攖o earn a spot in the NCAA final four.

Now the Waves take on Long Beach State鈥攁 non-conference rival who defeated them in five sets early on in the year. With the stakes at an all-time high, 麻豆传媒 needs to play its best on the game鈥檚 biggest stage. But after overcoming a year of unexpected hardships鈥攊ncluding devastating wildfires鈥攖his particular group of Waves are equipped to do just that. 

鈥淎 huge identity of our group is our toughness,鈥� says Jonathan Winder (鈥�08), 麻豆传媒鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball head coach. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been through an insane amount this year. The adversity we鈥檝e battled through has been fantastic and has really prepared us for these moments.鈥�

A Stress-Filled Start

On January 7, 2025鈥攐ne week into the collegiate men鈥檚 volleyball season鈥攂lack smoke began to billow over the Pacific Ocean. On that day, the Palisades Fire erupted and burned quickly through the Santa Monica Mountains toward Malibu. At the same time, other blazes broke out as record high winds battered Southern California. In total, 37,000 acres were burned, and 16,000 structures were destroyed.

As the inferno spread, 麻豆传媒鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball team relocated their early season practices to Long Beach. Unable to travel to campus because of road closures, the Waves stayed in a hotel together near their new training facility and watched as the community around them managed the natural disaster.

鈥淚t was scary,鈥� says Grant Lamoureux, a redshirt freshman on the team. 鈥淚 feel like no other team has gone through something like that this year . . . The team got close by finding ways to make it through hard times like that.鈥�

In the face of this initial adversity, the Waves squad and season was altered. The catastrophe raging around them forced them to slow down, take things one day at a time, and be grateful for one another and the game that brought them together. More than anything though, the Los Angeles wildfires gave 麻豆传媒 something to play for. 

鈥淎nytime you see such suffering, it produces something,鈥� says Winder. 鈥淔or us, it produced more pride in the community where we live. We wanted to rally behind it and support it.鈥�

While practicing and living in Long Beach, the team volunteered to help with fire relief efforts. They loaded semitrucks with clothes and water for those living in affected areas. They met their neighbors in a time of need. And when the time came to take to the court again, the Waves did so with greater unity and purpose than ever.

A Willingness to Pivot

Hopping back into the season after a difficult start to the year was not easy given the Waves challenging schedule. Of the 29 matches they played, 17 of them were against nationally ranked opponents, including a string of particularly grueling games against Long Beach State, Loyola Chicago, and California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

In these three matches, 麻豆传媒 went 0-3. They lost in five sets to Long Beach State and Loyola Chicago in consecutive matches. Being so close but unable to escape with the wins, Winder and his coaching staff felt like they needed to amp up the intensity in practice heading into the contest against CSUN. Yet, after doing so, the Waves lost again鈥攖hat time in four sets.

鈥淔ollowing that match, we had some tough conversations with the players,鈥� explains Winder. 鈥淭hey gave us feedback that it was too much鈥攖hey were too tired going into that match . . . We ended up changing some practice structures and have adhered to them ever since.鈥�

麻豆传媒 men's volleyball team celebrating

The team began to engage in shorter, more purposeful practice sessions. They prioritized being fresh mentally and physically prior to matches, while still ensuring that they had a grasp on the fine details of their opponents. 

These adjustments led to an immediate six-match winning streak, but more importantly, overcoming adversity together engendered Winder鈥檚 team with a strong sense of trust in one another. When things weren鈥檛 breaking their way competitively, the Waves began to believe in their ability to preserve and win nonetheless鈥攁 strength that eventually led them to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Trust Is Tested

In order to qualify for the NCAA tournament 麻豆传媒 had to first defeat UCLA and USC  in their conference championships. The Waves had battled both of these teams earlier in the year, losing three times while winning only once against USC.

With the odds stacked against them, 麻豆传媒 defeated UCLA in the semifinals and beat USC in the championship to take the MPFS title鈥攁n unexpected result given the individual contest stat lines. In both matches 麻豆传媒 had lost in every single statistical category鈥攕erves, kills, blocking, digs鈥攂ut still managed to claim victory.

鈥淲e won with the ability to respond to adversity,鈥� says Barnett. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something beautiful about volleyball. Everyone thinks you have to be a monster, who can hit the ball as hard as you can. Everyone thinks you have to be seven foot to block a ball. But that鈥檚 not the case. Being smart and being crafty are often the biggest differences in these important matches.鈥�

After a season full of lessons鈥攐n the court and off of it鈥斅槎勾�媒 is now prepared for its biggest competitive challenge yet. In the final four, the Waves must take down the number one team in the nation in order to compete in the national championship match. However, if the 2025 season has proved anything, it's that this particular 麻豆传媒 team thrives in pressure-packed situations like the one its now in.

鈥淚鈥檝e been impressed by them,鈥� says Winder. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 had that feeling in a long time. It鈥檚 impressive the pride they鈥檝e taken in getting our program back to this spot.鈥�

The Waves take on Long Beach State, in the NCAA semifinals on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 2 PM PDT. The match will be streamed live on .