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Maggie Li and Cheridyn Leverette
Leverette and Li Named to AVCA Player of the Year Watch List
July 22, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES โ Junior outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li have been named to the AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award Watch List, presented by Nike Volleyball, announced on Tuesday morning.
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Leverette and Li are two of 30 standout athletes selected from 20 institutions to appear on the watch list. UCLA is one of just nine programs to boast multiple honorees.
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Leverette's quickly emerged as one of top player players in the nation to stardom following her breakout 2024 season where she earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and First Team All-Big Ten honors. After limited appearances in 2022, she emerged as a reliable starter in 2023, ranking third on the team with 288 kills and leading in service aces. By 2024, Leverette led the Bruins in five statistical categories, totaled 435 kills with 20+ kills in three matches, and posted a remarkable 29-kill outing at Purdueโthe highest kill tally by a Bruin in the last three years. Her consistency was unmatched, recording double-digit kills in 27 of 28 matches and becoming just the fifth Bruin in the rally scoring era with 20 straight matches in double figures.
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Li will join UCLA after two fantastic seasons as a standout outside hitter at Cal. As a freshman in 2023, she led all Division I newcomers in multiple categories and became the first in program history to earn AVCA Pacific West Region Freshman of the Year and VolleyballMag All-America Honorable Mention. She continued her dominance in 2024, starting every match and ranking among the ACC's top three in kills, kills per set, and total points. She went on to register a total of 463 kills and seven double-doubles. Li earned Pac-12 and ACC weekly honors at record-setting rates and posted seven 20+ kill performances, including a season-high 28 against Saint Mary's.
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Leverette and Li are two of 30 standout athletes selected from 20 institutions to appear on the watch list. UCLA is one of just nine programs to boast multiple honorees.
ย
Leverette's quickly emerged as one of top player players in the nation to stardom following her breakout 2024 season where she earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and First Team All-Big Ten honors. After limited appearances in 2022, she emerged as a reliable starter in 2023, ranking third on the team with 288 kills and leading in service aces. By 2024, Leverette led the Bruins in five statistical categories, totaled 435 kills with 20+ kills in three matches, and posted a remarkable 29-kill outing at Purdueโthe highest kill tally by a Bruin in the last three years. Her consistency was unmatched, recording double-digit kills in 27 of 28 matches and becoming just the fifth Bruin in the rally scoring era with 20 straight matches in double figures.
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Li will join UCLA after two fantastic seasons as a standout outside hitter at Cal. As a freshman in 2023, she led all Division I newcomers in multiple categories and became the first in program history to earn AVCA Pacific West Region Freshman of the Year and VolleyballMag All-America Honorable Mention. She continued her dominance in 2024, starting every match and ranking among the ACC's top three in kills, kills per set, and total points. She went on to register a total of 463 kills and seven double-doubles. Li earned Pac-12 and ACC weekly honors at record-setting rates and posted seven 20+ kill performances, including a season-high 28 against Saint Mary's.
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Players Mentioned
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