UCLA at Long Beach State
Date/Time: Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. (PT)
Location: Long Beach, Calif. (LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

Long Beach State at UCLA
Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 29, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
Watch: B1G+
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

 

UCLA OPENS 2026 SEASON WITH TWO-MATCH SHOWDOWN AGAINST LONG BEACH STATE
The UCLA women’s volleyball team will begin the 2026 season with a home-and-home series against Long Beach State. The season opener will take place on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. PT inside LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid. The following night, the Bruins will host the Beach for a 5 p.m. PT contest inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial.

FIRST SERVE

• Head Coach Matt Werle enters his first season as UCLA's head coach
• Last season, UCLA made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021
• The Bruins will be playing their first home game in August since the 2018 season (vs. Gonzaga)
• UCLA earned its 39th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025
• The Bruins won seven of eight five set matches in 2025 (7-1 on the season)
• UCLA earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament
• The Bruins own a 95-36 (.725) all-time postseason record and have captured four national championships
• UCLA won five of its last seven matches and seven of its last 11
• Cheridyn Leverette was selected in the fourth round (pick No. 31) of the MLV Draft by the Orlando Valkyries
• Leverette went for a season-high 25 kills in the Bruins' five-set win over Michigan (Nov. 26)
• Cheridyn Leverette, Lola Schumacher, and Marianna Singletary received First Team All-Big Ten honors
• UCLA snapped Nebraska's 48-set win streak on Nov. 14, 2025
• In the match against No. 1 Nebraska, UCLA set a new program attendance record with a crowd of 10,498
• The Bruins were the only Big Ten team to take a set from Nebraska in 2025
• Marianna Singletary led the conference in total blocks (159) and ranked fourth in blocks-per-set (1.30 - T4th)
• Kate Duffey had nine double-doubles on the season
• Duffey recorded her 1,000th career assist in UCLA's match at Washington (Nov. 22)
• Maggie Li collected her 1,000th career, reaching the milestone on Nov. 6 at Oregon
• Lola Schumacher led the Big Ten in digs-per-set (4.38) and total digs (495)
• The Bruins earned a total of three ranked wins (No. 15 Penn State, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 22 USC)
• UCLA's win over No. 14 Minnesota was its first sweep over a ranked opponent since Oct. 31, 2021 (No. 8 Washington)
• The Bruins added three transfers and four freshmen to the 2026 squad, totaling seven newcomers
• Cheridyn Leverette led the team in scoring with 4.22 points-per-set and 3.88 kills-per-set in 2025
• Freshman Eliana Urzua has made an immediate impact, notching three 20+ kill performances finished as UCLA's fourth-leading scorer at 2.78 points-per-set
• The Bruins finished tied for 6th in the 2025 Big Ten standings
• UCLA welcomes seven newcomers (three transfers, four freshmen) for the 2026 season

 

MATT WERLE ENTERS FIRST SEASON AS UCLA HEAD COACH
UCLA Athletics named Matt Werle the next head coach of the UCLA women’s volleyball program in February 2026. Werle arrives in Westwood after a successful stint at Kansas and a decade of meteoric success as the head coach of Grand Canyon University’s men’s volleyball program. Werle most recently spent the 2025 season at Kansas as the program’s Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, where he helped guide the Jayhawks to a Sweet 16 appearance. In his 10 seasons at Grand Canyon, Werle posted a 154-93 record and quickly elevated the Lopes into a national contender. During the 2024 campaign, Werle steered Grand Canyon to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and coached the program’s first AVCA First Team All-American. He was named both MPSF and AVCA National Coach of the Year after leading the Lopes to their first MPSF Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory.

CHANGES TO THE STAFF
UCLA women's volleyball has solidified its coaching staff under newly-appointed head coach Matt Werle, promoting Stevi Robinson-Trail to Associate Head Coach and naming Bryan Dell'Amico an assistant coach for the Bruins. Robinson-Trail enters her third season in Westwood after playing a central role in UCLA's return to the NCAA Tournament and its successful transition into the Big Ten Conference. Dell'Amico joins the Bruins following a highly decorated tenure with the Grand Canyon University men's volleyball program, where he was honored as the 2025 AVCA Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. Shortly after, Werle named Kylie Miller an assistant coach for the 2026 season. Miller returns to Westwood with Division I coaching experience and an accomplished collegiate playing career. Miller arrives at UCLA after serving as an assistant coach at UC Irvine, where she spent the 2025 season with the Anteaters. Prior to her time in Irvine, Miller was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at CSUN from 2022-23. A native of Rancho Cucamonga, Miller spent her first three collegiate seasons at UCLA, appearing in 179 sets and totaling 1,278 assists, 34 aces, and 211 digs. She helped lead the Bruins to the Elite Eight in 2016, finishing the year ranked No. 6 nationally. Miller completed her career at Minnesota, where she helped the Gophers to a 27-6 record and a Final Four berth.

UCLA PICKED TO FINISH NINTH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
UCLA was picked to finish ninth out of 18 teams in the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Volleyball preseason poll, while libero Lola Schumacher and middle blocker Marianna Singletary were named to the league’s Preseason All‑Conference Team. The Bruins finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings in 2025, concluding the regular season with a conference record of 12-8, finishing level with Penn State and Minnesota.

2026 BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL

1. Nebraska
2. Wisconsin
3. Penn State
4. Purdue
5. Minnesota
6. Indiana
7. USC
8. Oregon
9. UCLA
10. Illinois
11. Michigan
12. Michigan State
13. Washington
14. Northwestern
15. Iowa
16. Ohio State
17. Rutgers
18. Maryland

ALL-REGION BRUINS
UCLA had three student-athletes recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with All-Pacific Region honors. Sophomore libero Lola Schumacher and redshirt junior middle blocker Marianna Singletary were named to the First Team, while senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette earned Honorable Mention distinction. Leverette secured All-Region recognition for the second time in her career, while Schumacher and Singletary collected their first All-Region honors.

UCLA RETURNS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Bruins returned to the postseason for the first time since 2021. Last year’s bid represented UCLA's 39th overall NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bruins own a 95-36 (.725) all-time postseason record and have captured four national championships. In 2021, UCLA won its first two postseason contests against Fairfield and UCF, then fell to the eventual national champions, Wisconsin, in the Regional Semifinals.

LEVERETTE SELECTED IN FOURTH ROUND OF MLV DRAFT
Senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette was selected in the fourth round of the Major League Volleyball (MLV) by the Orlando Valkyries. The 2024 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American was selected with the 31st overall pick on Monday morning by the reigning 2025 MLV Champions. Leverette becomes the first UCLA player ever drafted into the MLV and will join fellow Bruin Audrey Pak, who signed with the Columbus Fury in August. Leverette's rise to national prominence began with her breakout 2024 campaign, where she earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and First Team All-Big Ten honors.

SUPER SCHUMACHER
In her debut season with the Bruins, Schumacher quickly emerged as one of the nation’s premier liberos, leading UCLA with 495 digs (4.38 per set) and reaching double‑digit digs in 28 of her 29 starts. She surpassed the 20‑dig mark seven times, highlighted by a career‑best 27 digs in a five‑set win over Illinois. Schumacher closed the season with five 20‑plus dig performances in her final six matches and added 115 assists, six kills, and two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

DUFFEY DIMES
Kate Duffey recently achieved her 1,000th career assist in the match against Washington (Nov. 22). She garnered Big Ten Setter of the Week honors after orchestrating UCLA's offensive dominance by dishing out 66 assists in the team's back-to-back ranked sweeps over No. 14 Minnesota and No. 22 USC. The Bruins' setter has also been impressive on the defensive end as she posted a career-high 22 digs in the team's four set win over Washington on Nov. 2. Duffey recorded her sixth double-double of the year in that win, collecting 44 assists in addition to her 22-dig showing. She then came up with her seventh double-double in the five-set victory over Northwestern on Nov. 8, going for 41 assists and 12 digs. Against No. 1 Nebraska, Duffey tallied her eighth double-double with 45 assists and 10 digs.

SCHUMACHER AND SINGLETARY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Lola Schumacher and middle blocker Marianna Singletary were named to the league’s Preseason All‑Conference Team. Schumacher and Singletary earned preseason recognition after both securing First Team All‑Big Ten honors in 2025, anchoring a UCLA squad that returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

UCLA ON B1G+
UCLA's matches that are not televised will be available for viewing on B1G+, the Big Ten Network's subscription streaming platform, which offers access to nearly 2,500 events annually. The Bruins will be streamed on B1G+ at least nine times this season, with eight games scheduled to be televised on Big Ten Network, two on FS1, and one on NBC. B1G+ subscriptions can be purchased directly at www.bigtenplus.com. Fans can subscribe to B1G+ with an annual pass ($89.99 per year) or a monthly pass ($12.99). B1G+ subscriptions can also be purchased via in-app purchase in B1G+ apps.