UCLA
Florida State
No. 1 UCLA Heads to Death Volley Invitational at LSU
March 27, 2025 | Beach Volleyball
LOSย ANGELESย -- No. 1 UCLA (19-1) heads to Baton Rouge, La., this week to participate in the Death Volley Invitational at LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium. The Bruins will open with No. 7 Florida State (18-3) on Friday, March 28 at 7:15 a.m. PT/9:15 a.m. CT. UCLA will conclude day one with the home team, No. 11 LSU (15-6) at 1:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins will open day two with a rematch against No. 8 Texas (16-5)ย on Saturday, March 29 at 6:00 a.m. PT/8:00 a.m. CT and conclude the tournament with No. 2 TCU (12-3) at 11:00 a.m. PT. No live scores will be provided, but each court will be streamed live on VBTV (links provided below). The area is expecting bad weather so follow us on Twitter/X or Instagram for changes.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Opponent:ย No. 7 Florida Stateย (18-3) |ย COURT 2 |ย COURT 4 |ย COURT 6
Location:ย LSU Beach Volleyball Stadiumย |ย Baton Rouge, La.
Date:ย Friday, Marchย 28, 2025
Time:ย 7:15 a.m. PT/9:15 a.m. CT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 18-9 |ย Streak:ย Won 5
Last Meeting:ย W 5-0ย (March 15, 2025ย - East Meets West Invitationalย - Manhattanย Beach Pierย - Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Opponent:ย No. 11 LSU (15-6) |ย COURT 1 |ย COURT 3 |ย COURT 5
Location:ย LSU Beach Volleyball Stadiumย |ย Baton Rouge, La.
Date:ย Friday, Marchย 28, 2025
Time:ย 12:15 p.m. PT/2:15 p.m. CT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 20-2 |ย Streak:ย Won 12
Last Meeting:ย W 4-1 (March 14, 2025ย - East Meets West Invitationalย - Manhattanย Beach Pierย - Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Opponent:ย No. 8 Texas (16-5) |ย COURT 1 |ย COURT 3 |ย COURT 5
Location:ย LSU Beach Volleyball Stadiumย |ย Baton Rouge, La.
Date:ย Friday, Marchย 28, 2025
Time:ย 4:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. CT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 1-0 |ย Streak:ย Won 1
Last Meeting:ย W 4-1 (March 14, 2025ย - East Meets West Invitationalย - Manhattanย Beach Pierย - Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Opponent:ย No. 2 TCU (12-3) |ย COURT 1 |ย COURT 3 |ย COURT 5
Location:ย LSU Beach Volleyball Stadiumย |ย Baton Rouge, La.
Date:ย Saturday, March 29, 2025
Time:ย 6:00 a.m. PT/8:00 a.m. CT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 6-2 |ย Streak:ย Won 3
Last Meeting:ย W 4-1ย (Feb. 20, 2025ย - Outrigger Duke Kahanamokuย Beach Classicย -ย Queen's Beachย -ย Honolulu, Hawaii)
BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA graduate studentย Peri Brennanย (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and seniorย Natalie Myszkowskiย (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Weekย as announced by the league office on March 18.ย The Bruin duo helped UCLA go 6-0 last week with four wins over ranked teams. The Bruins defeated (RV) Concordia and Morehead State, 5-0 (Mar. 11) before heading to Manhattan Beach to host the East Meets West Invitational (Mar. 14-15). There, the Bruins took down No. 12 Texas and No. 11 LSU 4-1 on day one, and beat No. 8 Florida State and No. 19 FIU 5-0 on day two. Myszkowski and Brennan went 6-0 on the week without dropping a set. They went 5-0 on court two and 1-0 on court one, and only allowed their opponents to reach 17 in three of the 12 sets they played.ย This is the second MPSFย award for Brennan and Myszkowski.
BOYD, PEREZ NAMED MPSF/MOLTENย BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA juniorย Maggie Boydย (Flower Mound, Texas) and freshmanย Sally Perezย (Apex, N.C.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Weekย as announced by the league office on March 11.ย The UCLA duo played a pivotal role in the Bruins' 4-0 team record at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble at Stanford (March 7-8), where the court one pair was also unbeaten. Boyd and Perez secured the team-clinching dual victories over No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California, which included a 5-1 run at the end of set three for the win over Cal. The duo also finished off the 5-0 team sweeps with their top court wins over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon.ย This is the firstย MPSFย award for Boyd and Perez.
BOYD, PEREZ NAMED AVCA/CBVB NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
Juniorย Maggie Boydย (Flower Mound, Texasย / Marcusย HS) and freshmanย Sally Perezย (Apex, N.C. / Middle Creek HS) have been named the AVCA/CBVB Collegiate Beach Pair of the Week as announced by the AVCA on March 10. This is the second AVCA/CBVB weekly national honor for Boyd and the first for Perez.ย Boyd and Perezย played a pivotal role in UCLA's impressive performance at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble where the Bruins went 4-0, as did this tandem.ย Boyd and Perez showcased their resilience and skill by securing crucial victories at No. 1. They clinched the dual against No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California and completed the 5-0 sweeps over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon.
BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK
UCLA graduateย Peri Brennanย (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and seniorย Natalie Myszkowskiย (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) were named the MPSF/Molten Beach Pair of the Weekย as announced by the league office (Feb. 25).ย The Bruin duoย helped UCLA go 5-1 (all against Top-12 teams) to win the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic for the fourth consecutive year in Honolulu, Hawaii (Feb. 20-22). The No. 2 pair also went 5-1 in the tournament, including the clinching point of the Bruins' win over No. 2 TCU in straight sets, 21-17, 29-27. They also posted straight-set wins over No. 12 Hawai'i (21-14, 21-8), No. 7 LMU (23-21, 21-16), and No. 1 USC (21-14, 23-21), and had a three-set victory over No. 11 Arizona State (21-9, 19-21, 15-13).ย This is the first-ever recognition of any kind presented in MPSF Beach Volleyball.ย For Brennan, this is her fourth weekly conference award (three-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 21, 2023, March 19, 2024, April 16, 2024), and for Myszkowski, this is her third (two-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 22, 2022, April 2, 2024).
RETURNING STARTERS
The Bruins return seven of 10 starters from last year's second-place teamย at the NCAA Championship that saw UCLA end the year with an overall record of 35-7. The Bruins lost the services of Lexy Denaburgย (33-7 overall, 133-36 career), Devon Newberry (32-7 overall, 103-27 career), and Jaden Whitmarsh (25-13 overall, 110-29 career). UCLA also lost the services of reserve Rileigh Powers (3-1ย overall, 95-29 career).ย The sevenย starters returning include:ย from court one, All-American Maggie Boyd (33-7 overall and 60-13 career),ย from court two, Peri Brennan (32-7 overall, 69-12 career), from court three Kenzie Browerย (26-15 overall, 26-15 career), andย Jessie Smith (24-13 overall, 77-30 career), from court four Tessa Van Winkle (26-13 overall and 56-24 career)ย and from court five Ensley Alden (29-6 overall and 29-6 career)ย and Natalie Myszkowskiย (30-6ย overall, 69-15ย career).
RETURNING BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The Bruins also return a starter from the 2022 season in Sophie Moore (2-1ย overall, 43-12 career). There are two additional players coming back from last year's team and ready to compete for a spot in the Bruins' lineup.ย This group includes Madeline Bonanni (1-0 overall, 1-0 career), andย Reagan Hope (2-0 overall, 21-12 career). Additionally, Jayla Shanks (0-0), Ky Vaickus (0-0), Taylor Ford (0-0), Hannah Fleming (0-0), Harper Cooper (0-0), and Kaley Mathews (0-0) all return looking to make an impact in 2025.
FRESH FACES
The Bruins also brought in a trio of young players that will all debut in 2025. The class includes Sally Perez (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek HS), Alexa Fernandezย (Friendswood, Texas./Lutheran South Academy), and Adelina Okazaki (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma HS).
NO DUAL PARTICIPATION
For the fifth time in program history (and fifth consecutive year), the UCLA beach volleyball program does not have a single player from the Bruins' indoor volleyball team currently playing on the roster. UCLA only has oneย playerย with collegiate indoor experience in seniorย transfer Reagan Hope (Oregon in 2021-22).
A BRUIN SHALL LEAD US
In her 12th year with the Bruins and second season as UCLA's Head Coach in 2025, Jenny Johnson Jordan sports an overall record of 54-8 (.871).She served three seasons as the Associate Head Coach at UCLA prior to assuming the lead role. She guided the Bruins to second-place finishes at the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Championship with an overall record of 35-7 in her first year as the mentor. An Olympian, a National Champion, and a UCLA Hall of Famerย (2018), Johnson Jordan wonย NCAA titles as both a player (1991 - indoor) and a coach (2018 and 2019 - beach). Jordan was inducted into the CBVA Hall of Fame (Nov. 3, 2018) and was named theย AVCA National Assistant Beach Coach of the Year on May 9, 2019.
ASSISTING TRIPLE J
Jose Loiola: Beach volleyball Hall of Famerย (CBVA in 2014 and International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017)ย and USA Beach Volleyball National Team head coach Jose Loiola returns for his second season an assistant coach. Loiola was a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruins in 2021, helping guide UCLA to a Pac-12 Championship and NCAA runner-up finish.ย After Loiola's previous season with the Bruins, he went on to coach 2020 Olympian Tri Bourne and also served as head coach of the USA Volleyball squad that won gold at the 2021 U19 World Championships. In 2022, he coached Miles Partain and Andy Benesh to gold at the FIVB Challenger Dubai.
Kelly Reeves: UCLA standout, Kelly Reeve, the Bruins' first-ever All-American in beach volleyball (2013) returns for her second season as an assistant coach.ย In addition to her playing career, Reeves has developed a coaching career in all levels of the sport, including juniors, collegiate, USAV development, and amateurs. In 2022, Reeves helped the LMU Lions finish 4th at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, the best finish in the program's history. That same year, Reeves was a recipient of the Thirty Under 30 Beach coaches award from the AVCA. Reeves is also a National Champion, helping the Bruins win the indoor title in 2011. She has played on the AVP since 2016 and has also competed on theย NORCECA Tour and FIVB World Tour.
MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL, THE FIRST SEASON
The Bruins have moved into the MPSF for beach volleyball starting with the 2025 season. UCLA will be joined by California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, USC, and Washington.ย In 2024-25, the MPSF will sponsor competition in 15ย Intercollegiate Olympic sports, while serving 86ย teams from 46ย universities across 14ย states. MPSF teams compete primarily at the NCAA Division-I level in men's and women's water polo, indoor track and field,ย gymnastics, swimming and diving, fencing, beach volleyball, and men's volleyball. MPSF teams are eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships with men's and women's water polo, men's volleyball, and beach volleyball conference champions earning automatic qualification.ย The MPSF's newest sports--beach volleyball, men's rowing, and men's and women's wrestling--make their debut seasonsย in the conference in 2024-25.
MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL EXPANDING IN 2026
Theย MPSFย has announced the addition of Florida State, LSU,ย South Carolina, and Texas to its beach volleyball programs, giving the conference 11 teams beginning with the 2026 season. The Seminoles, Tigers, Gamecocks, and Longhorns, who are competing in their final season in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) this year, will each be making their first-ever appearance in any sport in the MPSF. The MPSF's inaugural beach volleyball season in 2025 features California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington. The first edition of the MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship will be held at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., April 23-25, 2025.
A TRIO OF BRUINS CHASING 100 CAREER WINS
Three Bruins are seeking to reach 100 career wins in 2025 and two of them are all currently tied for 12th place on UCLA careers wins list with 87 victories. Those two include graduate Peri Brennan and seniorย Natalie Myszkowski. Seniorย Jessie Smith is currently in 14th place with 81 victories. Four-time All-American, Lexy Denaburg,ย became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories last year with a win over Stanford in the semifinals of the contender's bracket of the 2024 Pac-12 Championship.
1. Lexy Denaburgย (133, 2020-24)
2. Abby Van Winkle (128, 2019-23)
3. Izzy Carey (123, 2016-19)
4. Savvy Simo (119, 2017-21)
5. Lea Monkhouse (117, 2019-22)
6. Megan McNamara (111, 2016-19)
7. Jaden Whitmarsh (110, 2019-24)
8. Nicole McNamara (109, 2016-19)
12. Peri Brennan (87, 2021-25)
12. Natalie Myszkowski (87, 2022-25)
14. Jessie Smith (81, 2022-25)
UCLA AS NO. 1 AND VS. NO. 1
As the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA has gone 129-16 (.890) all-time, and is 8-8 (.500) against USC when the Bruins are No. 1. The first time UCLA was ranked No. 1 came in April of 2018 and since then, UCLA has been ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks every season, including goingย 16-1 in 2018, 31-3 in 2019, 7-2 in 2020, 13-3 in 2021, 12-2 in 2022, 19-3 in 2023,ย 17-2 in 2024, and 10-0 in 2025 as the nation's top-ranked team.
The UCLA Bruins are 11-20 (.355) all-time against the top-ranked teams in the country. UCLA began 0-5 against the nation's top-ranked programs (2013-16) before breaking through with its first-ever win over a No. 1 team in the 3-2 home win over then top-ranked Pepperdine on March 30, 2016. Here's a breakdown of the Bruins against the No. 1 teams: Pepperdineย 2-3; TCU 1-0; USC 8-17.
The Bruins have been involved inย No. 1ย vs. No. 2 matchups 28 times in program history with a 11-17 record (.393) in those meetings. Interestingly, UCLA is just 3-10 (.231) as the top-ranked team in those matchupsย but 8-7 (.533) as the underdog.
MORE ON RANKINGS
Since 2018, no team has been ranked No. 1 for more weeks than the UCLA Bruins (34). USC has spent 22 weeks at No. 1 in the last seven-plus years while TCU (6), Pepperdine (4), LSU (4), andย Florida State (1) round out the list. Overall, the Trojans have been ranked No. 1 a total of 45 times in the AVCA Poll, followed by UCLA (34), Pepperdine (17), TCU (6), LSU (4), Hawai'i (1), and Florida State (1).
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA held steady atย No. 1 in the 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Pollย (Marchย 25).
AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH VOLLEYBALL POLLย (Marchย 25, 2025)
|
Rank |
School (First-Place Votes Adjusted) |
Total Points Adjusted |
Record |
Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UCLA [27] |
559 |
19-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
TCU [1] |
522 |
12-3 |
3 |
|
3 |
Loyola Marymount |
507 |
20-2 |
2 |
|
4 |
USC |
469 |
15-4 |
4 |
|
5 |
Stanford |
444 |
13-5 |
5 |
|
6 |
Cal Poly |
436 |
16-2 |
6 |
|
7 |
Florida State |
384 |
18-3 |
7 |
|
8 |
Texas |
347 |
16-5 |
10 |
|
9 |
Long Beach State |
336 |
15-5 |
8 |
|
10 |
California |
322 |
14-6 |
9 |
|
11 |
LSU |
278 |
15-6 |
12 |
|
12 |
Arizona State |
241 |
9-8 |
11 |
|
13 |
Grand Canyon |
235 |
14-6 |
13 |
|
14 |
Stetson |
174 |
14-6 |
16 |
|
15 |
Florida Atlantic |
163 |
12-8 |
14 |
|
16 |
North Florida |
142 |
13-1 |
15 |
|
17 |
Hawai'i |
108 |
10-12 |
17 |
|
18 |
Georgia State |
74 |
8-13 |
18 |
|
19 |
Washington |
58 |
9-8 |
19 |
|
20 |
FIU |
35 |
9-14 |
20 |
Others receiving votes:ย Tulane (23), FGCU (6), UAB (6), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4), Concordia (2), Boise State (2), Utah (1), Pepperdine (1), and UNCW (1).
Next Poll:ย April 1
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