Thursday, December 4
Lexington, Ky.
1:30 PM (PT)
UCLA
19-12,12-8Big Ten
3
vs
2
Georgia Tech
16-14,11-9ACC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Georgia Tech
26
19
25
18
10
2
UCLA
24
25
23
25
15
3
Marianna Singletary
Photo by: Elijah Carr
UCLA Earns Five-Set Win Over Georgia Tech in NCAA First Round
December 04, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Behind a career performance from middle blocker Marianna Singletary, UCLA women's volleyball team prevailed in a five-set thriller over Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Set scores were 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10.
The Bruins (19-12) advance to the second round, where they'll face the winner of No. 1-seed Kentucky and Wofford. First serve is set for tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Singletary stole the show in the five-set win, notching her first double-double with a career-best 22 kills and 11 blocks, two of them solo. The middle blocker was extremely efficient, hitting .556 on the night.
Head Coach Alfee Reft secured his first NCAA Tournament victory in his postseason debut. UCLA has now won seven of its eight five-set matches in 2025.
Senior Cheridyn Leverette powered the Bruins with 18 kills, seven digs, and six blocks. Maggie Li added a double-double performance, finishing with 12 kills and 10 digs.
At the helm of the offense, Kate Duffey dished out 54 assists, while also contributing seven digs and four blocks, including two solo.
Defensively, Lola Schumacher anchored the back row with 21 digs, marking her eighth match this season with 20 or more.
In the fifth and final frame, UCLA jumped ahead 4-2, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout after Singletary's 10th block of the match. The Bruins led 8-5 at the switch and extended the margin to 10-6 on a Duffey solo block. Singletary then took over, slamming three kills, including match point, to secure the 15–10 victory and the match.
Georgia Tech opened with a 5-2 lead before Urzua's pair of kills sparked a 3-0 run to even the score at 7-7. Leverette briefly put UCLA ahead, but back-to-back errors handed the Yellow Jackets a 15-12 edge at the first media timeout. The Bruins responded with a 7-2 surge, fueled by three kills and a Li service ace, to move in front 19-17. A successful Georgia Tech challenge erased what appeared to be a four-point UCLA cushion, trimming the margin to two. The Jackets seized momentum late, winning three straight to erase a Bruin set point and steal the opener, 26-24.
UCLA stormed out to a 7-2 advantage behind Singletary's two kills and two blocks. Urzua capped a 3-0 run with a huge block to make it 10-4, and Leverette and Briscoe added key points to push the lead to 15-8. Duffey's service run, highlighted by an ace, extended the margin to 20-11. Despite a late Georgia Tech push, the Bruins closed out the frame 25-19.
The Bruins again raced to a 7-2 lead with Singletary delivering a solo block and kill. Georgia Tech answered with a 7-0 run to surge ahead 17-13. UCLA clawed back to within one at 21-20, but the Jackets held firm, edging out the set 25-23.
The teams traded points early before Georgia Tech grabbed a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. UCLA roared back, winning seven of the next eight rallies. Li and Briscoe hammered consecutive kills, and Duffey added a solo block to fuel the run. The Bruins pulled away for a 25-18 win to force a decisive fifth.
UCLA's second round matchup against the winner of No. 1-seed Kentucky vs. Wofford will take place tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). The contest will be available for viewing on ESPN+.
Set scores were 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10.
The Bruins (19-12) advance to the second round, where they'll face the winner of No. 1-seed Kentucky and Wofford. First serve is set for tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Singletary stole the show in the five-set win, notching her first double-double with a career-best 22 kills and 11 blocks, two of them solo. The middle blocker was extremely efficient, hitting .556 on the night.
Head Coach Alfee Reft secured his first NCAA Tournament victory in his postseason debut. UCLA has now won seven of its eight five-set matches in 2025.
Senior Cheridyn Leverette powered the Bruins with 18 kills, seven digs, and six blocks. Maggie Li added a double-double performance, finishing with 12 kills and 10 digs.
At the helm of the offense, Kate Duffey dished out 54 assists, while also contributing seven digs and four blocks, including two solo.
Defensively, Lola Schumacher anchored the back row with 21 digs, marking her eighth match this season with 20 or more.
In the fifth and final frame, UCLA jumped ahead 4-2, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout after Singletary's 10th block of the match. The Bruins led 8-5 at the switch and extended the margin to 10-6 on a Duffey solo block. Singletary then took over, slamming three kills, including match point, to secure the 15–10 victory and the match.
Georgia Tech opened with a 5-2 lead before Urzua's pair of kills sparked a 3-0 run to even the score at 7-7. Leverette briefly put UCLA ahead, but back-to-back errors handed the Yellow Jackets a 15-12 edge at the first media timeout. The Bruins responded with a 7-2 surge, fueled by three kills and a Li service ace, to move in front 19-17. A successful Georgia Tech challenge erased what appeared to be a four-point UCLA cushion, trimming the margin to two. The Jackets seized momentum late, winning three straight to erase a Bruin set point and steal the opener, 26-24.
UCLA stormed out to a 7-2 advantage behind Singletary's two kills and two blocks. Urzua capped a 3-0 run with a huge block to make it 10-4, and Leverette and Briscoe added key points to push the lead to 15-8. Duffey's service run, highlighted by an ace, extended the margin to 20-11. Despite a late Georgia Tech push, the Bruins closed out the frame 25-19.
The Bruins again raced to a 7-2 lead with Singletary delivering a solo block and kill. Georgia Tech answered with a 7-0 run to surge ahead 17-13. UCLA clawed back to within one at 21-20, but the Jackets held firm, edging out the set 25-23.
The teams traded points early before Georgia Tech grabbed a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. UCLA roared back, winning seven of the next eight rallies. Li and Briscoe hammered consecutive kills, and Duffey added a solo block to fuel the run. The Bruins pulled away for a 25-18 win to force a decisive fifth.
UCLA's second round matchup against the winner of No. 1-seed Kentucky vs. Wofford will take place tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). The contest will be available for viewing on ESPN+.
Team Stats
GaTech
UCLA
Kills
62
65
Errors
36
20
Attempts
182
169
Hitting %
.143
.266
Points
78.5
89.0
Assists
58
60
Aces
6
6
Blocks
10.5
18
Game Leaders
Kills
22
Aces
0
Blocks
11
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballUCLA W. Volleyball Postgame - Coach Reft & Players vs. Kentucky (Dec. 5, 2025)
Friday, December 05
UCLA W. Volleyball Postgame - Coach Reft & Players vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 4, 2025)
Thursday, December 04
Highlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 4, 2025)
Thursday, December 04
Highlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Michigan State (Nov. 28, 2025)
Friday, November 28