Game 1
UCLA (1-3) at UTEP (6-0)
Date/Time: Thursday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
Game 2
UCLA (1-3) vs. Oral Roberts (0-5)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 12, 3 p.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Live Stats: utepminers.com/coverage
Game 3
UCLA (1-3) vs. Texas Southern (0-6)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Live Stats: utepminers.com/coverage
NO. 24 UCLA HEADS TO SUN CITY CLASSIC FOR THREE MATCHES
The No. 24-ranked UCLA women's volleyball team will travel to El Paso, Texas for a three-match tournament at the Sun City Classic. The Bruins will meet the hosts, UTEP, for the first contest on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. (PT) on ESPN+. UCLA will then take on Oral Roberts on Friday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. (PT) before wrapping up the weekend with a contest against Texas Southern on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. (PT).
FIRST SERVE
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA dropped both matches in a hard-fought weekend series against No. 24 TCU in Fort Worth, falling in straight sets Friday and in four sets Saturday. Despite competitive scores and stretches of momentum, the Bruins were hampered by a combined 49 attack errors and inconsistent execution, allowing the Horned Frogs to capitalize and complete the sweep. Freshman Eliana Urzua continued her strong debut with 20 kills across the two matches, including a team-high 12 in her first collegiate start. Cheridyn Leverette remained a steady force with 23 total kills and 26 digs, while Lola Schumacher anchored the defense with 34 digs over the weekend. UCLA showed flashes of dominance at the net, particularly in Saturday's third set, but couldn't sustain rhythm long enough to turn the tide.
ABOUT THE MINERS
UTEP comes into the week as one of the nation's few undefeated teams, bringing a perfect 6-0 record into the Sun City Classic. The Miners have achieved 25 or more wins in back-to-back seasons. UTEP reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and lost in the NIVT Championship game two seasons ago. This week's hosts have been extremely impressive in the early stages of the 2025 season, dropping just two sets over its first six matches. UTEP made a trip out west for its series opening tournament in Sacramento, rattling off three consecutive victories over Sacramento State, Pepperdine, and UC Davis. The Miners then returned to the Lone Star State for the Southwest Showdown hosted by UTRGV where they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTRGV, and Texas State. UTEP is led by redshirt senior outside hitter Torrance Lovesee, who received Second Team All-CUSA honors in 2024. She has averaged a team-best 4.03 points-per-set. Fellow senior Kaya Weaver has emerged as one of the nation's top talents at the middle blocker position, coming off back-to-back seasons when she was named First Team All-CUSA, including a CUSA Defensive Player of the Year selection in 2024.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oral Roberts has struggled out of the gates in its winless start to 2024, claiming just two sets through its first five matches. The Golden Eagles suffered defeats to Idaho, Portland, and Cal State Fullerton at their season-opening tournament in Moscow, Idaho. In week two, Oral Roberts fell to Bucknell and North Carolina in back-to-back contests. ORU failed to reach five wins in each of the last two seasons. Nolan Abrecht was named the new head coach in January of 2025 and he hopes to change the course of the program this fall.
ABOUT THE LADY TIGERS
Texas Southern also comes into this week with a zero in the win column, dropping its first six matches of the campaign. The Lady Tigers lost three straight contests during its opening weekend in Lafayette, La., falling to Louisiana, New Orleans, and Tarleton State. Texas Southern then traveled to Denver, Colo. where it dropped consecutive matches to Idaho State, Denver, and Memphis. TSU went 10-19 in 2024. Head Coach Alexis Austin enters her third season at the helm in 2025.
UCLA PICKED FIFTH
UCLA was picked to finish fifth out of 18 teams in the 2025 Big Ten Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. In its first season as a Big Ten member, UCLA women's volleyball finished 14-15 overall and 8-12 in conference play. The Bruins recorded notable wins over No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 24 Washington, and Ohio State, while pushing several ranked opponents to five sets, including reigning NCAA National Champion Penn State. Nebraska was picked as the conference favorite, followed by Penn State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Cornhuskers posted a regular season record of 33-3 and finished atop the Big Ten standings with a 19-1 mark in conference play. Four Bruins earned spots on the 20-member Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team, tying Nebraska for the most selections in the league. Outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li joined middle blockers Marianna Singletary and Phekran Kong in receiving the preseason honors.
UCLA (1-3) at UTEP (6-0)
Date/Time: Thursday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
Game 2
UCLA (1-3) vs. Oral Roberts (0-5)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 12, 3 p.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Live Stats: utepminers.com/coverage
Game 3
UCLA (1-3) vs. Texas Southern (0-6)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. (PT)
Location: El Paso, Texas (Memorial Gym)
Live Stats: utepminers.com/coverage
NO. 24 UCLA HEADS TO SUN CITY CLASSIC FOR THREE MATCHES
The No. 24-ranked UCLA women's volleyball team will travel to El Paso, Texas for a three-match tournament at the Sun City Classic. The Bruins will meet the hosts, UTEP, for the first contest on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. (PT) on ESPN+. UCLA will then take on Oral Roberts on Friday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. (PT) before wrapping up the weekend with a contest against Texas Southern on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. (PT).
FIRST SERVE
- UCLA dropped three of its first four matches and will bring a 1-3 record into the Sun City Classic
- The Bruins prevailed in a five-set thriller in the season-opener at Long Beach State
- The season-opening win marked UCLA's first five-set win since its 2024 season opener
- UCLA fell to Pepperdine in four sets the following night, hitting just .172 as a team in the defeat
- UCLA lost back-to-back matches at No. 24 TCU
- Cheridyn Leverette leads the team in scoring with 3.97 points-per-set and 3.56 kills-per-set
- Eliana Urzua has made an immediate impact, recording two double-digit kill performances across her first four matches.
- UCLA was ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll
- UCLA's 1-3 start is its worst since 1998 when it opened the season with six consecutive losses
- UCLA posted an overall record of 14-15 (8-12 Big Ten) in its inaugural season in the Big Ten
- The Bruins finished tied for 10th in the conference standings, sharing the spot with Michigan and Indiana with an 8-12 record
- UCLA went 1-5 in five-set matches, including defeats to No. 12 Minnesota, No. 16 USC, No. 3 Penn State, and No. 10 Purdue
- UCLA welcomes 10 newcomers (five transfers, five freshmen) for the 2025 season
- Head Coach Alfee Reft enters his third season at the helm
- Nick Vogel joined Coach Reft's coaching staff in the summer. Vogel spent three seasons as the head assistant for the UCLA men's volleyball program
- Junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette garnered Honorable Mention AVCA All-American acclaim after her stellar campaign
- Leverette leads the Bruins in points (464), kills (435), points-per-set (4.43), and kills-per-set (4.14)
- Leverette achieved double-digit kills in 20 consecutive matches from Aug. 30 to Nov. 2. She is just the fifth Bruin in the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) to achieve that feat
- Leverette ranked sixth in the conference in kills-per-set (4.14) and 10th in total kills (435)
- Five transfers bolster Alfee Reft's 2025 squad, including Maggie Li (Cal), Phekran Kong (Louisville), Zayna Meyer (Long Beach State), Marianna Singletary (Texas), and Lola Schumacher (Wisconsin)
- Graduate middle blocker Anna Dodson was named Second Team All-Big Ten for her fourth career all-conference honor
- Audrey Pak ranked fifth in the Big Ten 10.67 assists-per-set during conference play
- Kiki Horne and Kate Reilly were the only Bruins to appear in every match in 2024
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA dropped both matches in a hard-fought weekend series against No. 24 TCU in Fort Worth, falling in straight sets Friday and in four sets Saturday. Despite competitive scores and stretches of momentum, the Bruins were hampered by a combined 49 attack errors and inconsistent execution, allowing the Horned Frogs to capitalize and complete the sweep. Freshman Eliana Urzua continued her strong debut with 20 kills across the two matches, including a team-high 12 in her first collegiate start. Cheridyn Leverette remained a steady force with 23 total kills and 26 digs, while Lola Schumacher anchored the defense with 34 digs over the weekend. UCLA showed flashes of dominance at the net, particularly in Saturday's third set, but couldn't sustain rhythm long enough to turn the tide.
ABOUT THE MINERS
UTEP comes into the week as one of the nation's few undefeated teams, bringing a perfect 6-0 record into the Sun City Classic. The Miners have achieved 25 or more wins in back-to-back seasons. UTEP reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and lost in the NIVT Championship game two seasons ago. This week's hosts have been extremely impressive in the early stages of the 2025 season, dropping just two sets over its first six matches. UTEP made a trip out west for its series opening tournament in Sacramento, rattling off three consecutive victories over Sacramento State, Pepperdine, and UC Davis. The Miners then returned to the Lone Star State for the Southwest Showdown hosted by UTRGV where they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTRGV, and Texas State. UTEP is led by redshirt senior outside hitter Torrance Lovesee, who received Second Team All-CUSA honors in 2024. She has averaged a team-best 4.03 points-per-set. Fellow senior Kaya Weaver has emerged as one of the nation's top talents at the middle blocker position, coming off back-to-back seasons when she was named First Team All-CUSA, including a CUSA Defensive Player of the Year selection in 2024.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oral Roberts has struggled out of the gates in its winless start to 2024, claiming just two sets through its first five matches. The Golden Eagles suffered defeats to Idaho, Portland, and Cal State Fullerton at their season-opening tournament in Moscow, Idaho. In week two, Oral Roberts fell to Bucknell and North Carolina in back-to-back contests. ORU failed to reach five wins in each of the last two seasons. Nolan Abrecht was named the new head coach in January of 2025 and he hopes to change the course of the program this fall.
ABOUT THE LADY TIGERS
Texas Southern also comes into this week with a zero in the win column, dropping its first six matches of the campaign. The Lady Tigers lost three straight contests during its opening weekend in Lafayette, La., falling to Louisiana, New Orleans, and Tarleton State. Texas Southern then traveled to Denver, Colo. where it dropped consecutive matches to Idaho State, Denver, and Memphis. TSU went 10-19 in 2024. Head Coach Alexis Austin enters her third season at the helm in 2025.
UCLA PICKED FIFTH
UCLA was picked to finish fifth out of 18 teams in the 2025 Big Ten Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. In its first season as a Big Ten member, UCLA women's volleyball finished 14-15 overall and 8-12 in conference play. The Bruins recorded notable wins over No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 24 Washington, and Ohio State, while pushing several ranked opponents to five sets, including reigning NCAA National Champion Penn State. Nebraska was picked as the conference favorite, followed by Penn State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Cornhuskers posted a regular season record of 33-3 and finished atop the Big Ten standings with a 19-1 mark in conference play. Four Bruins earned spots on the 20-member Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team, tying Nebraska for the most selections in the league. Outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li joined middle blockers Marianna Singletary and Phekran Kong in receiving the preseason honors.