Volleyball: The Loyola-Mira Costa connection sparks UCLA

UCLA, ranked No. 3 in the nation in men’s volleyball, is relying on three freshmen from Southern California.

Hagen Smith (Loyola), Jackson Bantle (Loyola) and Grant Chalmers (Mira Costa) all started on Monday night to help the Bruins defeat Stanford in five sets.

Smith, the son of former Bruin great Singin Smith, has emerged as a key player at setter this season. He had 51 set assists, five digs and four blocks on Monday.

UCLA is 13-2 overall and 12-2 in conference.

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