UCLA vs. Iowa State
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 18, 4 p.m. (PT)
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (Orleans Arena)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2 p.m. (PT)
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (Orleans Arena)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA vs. Hawaii
Date/Time: Sunday, Sept. 20, 2:30 p.m. (PT)
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (Orleans Arena)
Watch: Mountain West Network+
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA CONCLUDES NONCONFERENCE SLATE AT LUCKY ACES VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL
The UCLA women’s volleyball team will wrap up its nonconference schedule when it travels to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the Lucky Aces Volleyball Invitational. The first of three contests will take place on Friday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. PT against Iowa State. The Bruins will then take on Texas A&M Corpus-Christi on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT before concluding the weekend with a matchup against Hawaii on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. PT. All three matches will be hosted inside Orleans Arena.

FIRST SERVE

• Head Coach Matt Werle enters his first season as UCLA's head coach
• UCLA has enjoyed a 6-2 start to the 2026 campaign, winning four of those contests via the sweep
• Marianna Singletary is UCLA's leading scorer with 4.00 points-per-set
• Singletary ranks second in the nation with 1.79 blocks-per-set and sixth nationally in total blocks with 50 on the year
• Maggie Li returned from injury on Sept. 13 against Utah and went for a season-high 17 kills in the win
• As a team, UCLA ranks 15th in the nation for blocks-per-set (2.75)
• Brooke Harwood has quickly become a go‑to weapon for the Bruins, averaging 2.98 points per set on .386 hitting
• In 2025, UCLA made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 where it met Kentucky in the NCAA Second Round
• UCLA earned its 39th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025
• The Bruins own a 95-36 (.725) all-time postseason record and have captured four national championships
• The Bruins won seven of eight five set matches in 2025 (7-1 on the season)
• 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
• 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
• The Bruins finished tied for 6th in the 2025 Big Ten standings
• UCLA welcomes seven newcomers (three transfers, four freshmen) for the 2026 season

UCLA GRABS TWO VICTORIES IN UTAH
UCLA delivered a strong three‑match stretch, sweeping Utah State before taking No. 25 BYU to five sets in Provo and then closing the weekend with a four‑set road win at Utah. The Bruins’ defense and balance defined the week, with Lola Schumacher anchoring the back row across all three matches, Marianna Singletary dominating the middle with high‑efficiency scoring and heavy blocking, and Maggie Li and Mija Bendziute supplying consistent point production as UCLA combined authoritative serving runs, timely blocking, and composed late‑set execution to finish the trip 2-1 and push its record to 6-2.

STELLAR SINGLETARY
Marianna Singletary has been one of UCLA’s most dominant and reliable forces through the first eight matches of the season, pairing elite efficiency with heavy point production and consistent impact at the net. Across road trips to Long Beach State, Kentucky, Miami, Utah State, BYU, and Utah, she’s totaled 81 kills on .405 hitting, 50 total blocks, and 112 points, establishing herself as one of the nation’s most productive middles. She opened the year with 16 kills (.429) and nine blocks at Long Beach State, followed by another strong outing the next night with nine kills (.333) and eight blocks. After a quieter match at Kentucky, she rebounded with back‑to‑back efficient performances at Miami, including 11 kills on .529 hitting with 4 blocks in the second sweep. Her dominance continued into the next week when she produced eight kills (.294) and five blocks at Utah State, a career‑level masterpiece at BYU with 16 kills on .556 hitting and nine blocks, and 11 kills (.476) and nine blocks at Utah.

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

SCHUMACHER, 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.

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.

UCLA RETURNS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
With UCLA earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2025, the Bruins returned to the postseason for the first time since 2022. 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.