📷 UC Irvine Athletics
If you wanted proof that Friday regionals can still feel like March — wrong sport, same cruelty — UC Irvine and Penn State delivered a five-set theater piece in Noblesville.
25-18, 27-29, 19-25, 25-17, 15-13 — Anteaters survive.
William D'Arcy posted 13 kills and five block assists, per UCI's recap lane. The Anteaters also emphasized the edges at the net — 13.0 blocks to 7.5 — the sort of detail that wins deuce-ball sets when hitting runs dry.
The NCAA.com schedule lists Friday as the regional round — the first elimination layer before Saturday's regional finals.
Irvine advanced to Saturday's regional final against No. 1 UCLA — the round where the bracket trims from eight to four — a matchup that would eventually inherit every ounce of big-brother theater SoCal volleyball can manufacture.
United Volleyball Network — May 2, 2026.
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