UCLA at No. 18 Indiana
Date/Time: Thursday, Sept. 24, 4 p.m. (PT)
Location: Bloomington, Ind. (Wilkinson Hall)
Watch: B1G+
Talent: Noah Boudouris (pxp); Brooks White (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA at Northwestern
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 26, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Watch: B1G+
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA OPENS BIG TEN PLAY AT INDIANA, NORTHWESTERN
The UCLA women’s volleyball team will begin its Big Ten Conference slate when it travels to Bloomington, Ind. to take on No. 18 Indiana on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. PT.  The Bruins will then face Northwestern on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT in Evanston, Ill.  Both contests will be available for viewing on B1G+ and fans can follow live stats on ucla.statbroadcast.com.

FIRST SERVE

• Head Coach Matt Werle enters his first season as UCLA's head coach
• UCLA has enjoyed a 9-2 start to the 2026 campaign, marking its best 11-game start to a season since 2021
• The Bruins are 3-1 all-time on the opening weekend of Big Ten play
• Maggie Li is UCLA's leading scorer with 3.98 points-per-set
• Lola Schumacher went for a career-high 29 digs in the five-set win over Hawaii, earning tournament MVP honors
• Brooke Harwood, Eliana Urzua, and Lola Schumacher were named to the Lucky Aces Invitational All-Tournament team
• Marianna Singletary ranks fifth in the nation with 1.71 blocks-per-set and fifth nationally in total blocks with 65 on the year
• Brooke Harwood has quickly become a go‑to weapon for the Bruins, averaging 2.91 points per set on .400 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 their 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
• The Bruins were the only Big Ten team to take a set from Nebraska in 2025
• The Bruins earned a total of three ranked wins (No. 15 Penn State, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 22 USC) in 2025
• 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 CLAIMS LUCKY ACES VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Across its three‑match run at the Lucky Aces Volleyball Invitational, UCLA put together its most complete stretch of volleyball this season, sweeping Iowa State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before outlasting Hawaii in a five‑set thriller to claim the tournament title. The Bruins opened with a dominant wire‑to‑wire win over Iowa State, hitting .346, controlling the defensive battle, and riding standout performances from Urzua, Harwood, Li, Singletary, Duffey, and Schumacher. They followed with an even sharper showing against A&M‑Corpus Christi, rolling to a .378 hitting mark, piling up 10 blocks, and getting efficient scoring from Bendziute, Urzua, Harwood, and Utterback while Sarafa and Johnson steadied the offense and net defense. UCLA then capped the weekend with a gritty comeback against Hawaii, rallying from 14-11 down in the fifth set to win 18–16 behind clutch swings from Li, Singletary, and Harwood, plus career‑high defensive work from Schumacher and a 54‑assist performance from Duffey. The 3-0 weekend pushed UCLA to 9-2, marking its best 11‑match start since 2021.

SCHUMACHER'S BRILLIANCE
Lola Schumacher anchored UCLA’s back row throughout the weekend, averaging 5.27 digs per set while leading the Bruins to a perfect 3-0 showing and earning MVP honors at the Lucky Aces Volleyball Invitational. She totaled 58 digs across the three matches, highlighted by a career high 29 digs in the five-set win over Hawaii and also reached a major milestone by recording her 1,000th career dig in the sweep of Iowa State.

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. Across the Bruins' first 11 games, she’s totaled 103 kills on .357 hitting, 65 total blocks, and 145.5 points, establishing herself as one of the nation’s most productive middles. She ranks fifth nationally in both blocks-per-set and total blocks.

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.

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.

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.