UCLA vs. Michigan State
Date/Time: Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
Watch: B1G+
Talent: Bryan Fenley (pxp); Victoria Dennis (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA vs. Michigan
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
Watch: B1G+
Talent: Bryan Fenley (pxp); Victoria Dennis (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA RETURNS TO PAULEY PAVILION TO HOST MICHIGAN STATE, MICHIGAN
The UCLA women’s volleyball team will make its return to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial play its first home contest since Aug. 29 when it hosts Michigan State on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. PT.  The Bruins will then face Michigan on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT to wrap up their conference home-opening weekend.  Both contests will be available for viewing on B1G+, with Bryan Fenley and Victoria Dennis on the call. 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 10-3 start to the 2026 campaign
• The Bruins earned their first Big Ten win of the Matt Werle era with a straight-sets victory over Northwestern
• Marianna Singletary is UCLA's leading scorer with 3.79 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 4th in the nation with 1.68 blocks-per-set and 8th nationally in total blocks with 74 on the year
• Brooke Harwood has quickly become a go‑to weapon for the Bruins, averaging 3.10 points per set on .416 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 last season (Nov. 26, 2025)
• 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 SPLITS OPENING BIG TEN WEEKEND
UCLA split its first Big Ten road weekend, falling in straight sets to No. 18 Indiana before responding with a dominant sweep at Northwestern. Against the Hoosiers, the Bruins never fully settled offensively, hitting .150 while Indiana controlled the efficiency battle at .238, out‑blocked UCLA 9.0-7.5, and used key scoring runs in all three frames to secure a 27-25, 25-19, 25-21 victory. Brooke Harwood (9 kills), Marianna Singletary (6 kills, 3 blocks), Maggie Li (6 kills, 7 digs), and setter Kate Duffey (28 assists, 9 digs) paced UCLA, but Indiana’s late‑set execution proved decisive. Two nights later in Evanston, UCLA flipped the script, earning its first Big Ten win of the Matt Werle era with a 25-20, 25-20, 25-20 sweep of Northwestern behind one of its most efficient performances of the season. The Bruins hit .371 with 51 kills, controlled the back row 45-34 in digs, and dominated at the net with 8.5 blocks. Harwood delivered a career‑high 14 kills on .684, Singletary added 10 kills and 6 blocks, Urzua and Li combined for 19 kills, and Duffey steered the offense with 40 assists, guiding UCLA to a strong bounce‑back win to close the weekend.

SCHUMACHER'S BRILLIANCE
Lola Schumacher anchored UCLA’s back row throughout the weekend in Las Vegas, 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.

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.