UCLA at No. 1 Nebraska
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m. (PT)
Location: Lincoln, Neb. (Bob Devaney Sports Center)
Watch: FS1
Talent: Kelsie Kasper (pxp); Anna Connelly (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA at Iowa
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. (PT)
Location: Coralville, Iowa (Xtream Arena)
Watch: Big Ten Network
Talent: Justin Helm (pxp); Allie Sczech (analyst)
Live Stats: UCLA.statbroadcast.com

UCLA TAKES FIVE-MATCH WIN STREAK TO NO. 1 NEBRASKA, IOWA
The UCLA women’s volleyball team will take its five-match winning streak to Lincoln, Neb. where it will take on No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. PT.  The Bruins will then face Iowa on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.  Thursday's contest will be nationally broadcast on FS1 and Sunday's match will also be featured on television as it will be available for viewing on Big Ten Network. 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 enters the fifth weekend of Big Ten Conference play with a 6-2 record, sitting in fourth place in the league standings
• UCLA is currently ranked No. 10 in the RPI rankings
• The Bruins earned their first ranked of the season when they defeated No. 15 Penn State in five sets on Friday night
• Libero Kat Lutz recorded a career-high 28 digs in UCLA's win over Penn State, stepping in for the injured Lola Schumacher
• 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
• Maggie Li is UCLA's leading scorer with 3.76 points-per-set
• Marianna Singletary ranks 7th in the nation with 1.57 blocks-per-set and 4th nationally in total blocks with 108 on the year
• Singletary leads the Big Ten in both blocks-per-set (1.68) and total blocks (99)
• Mija Bendziute posted a career-high 14 kills in UCLA's victory over Maryland on Oct. 9
• Jordyn Johnson delivered a breakout performance in the win over Rutgers (Oct. 10) with a career-high nine blocks
• Brooke Harwood has quickly become a go‑to weapon for the Bruins, averaging 3.00 points per set on .359 hitting
• 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
• In 2025, UCLA made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 where it met Kentucky in the NCAA Second Round
• 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
• 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
• UCLA welcomes seven newcomers (three transfers, four freshmen) for the 2026 season

UCLA EARNS BACK-TO-BACK FIVE-SET VICTORIES
Over the weekend, UCLA extended its winning streak to five matches with a pair of dramatic five-set victories at Pauley Pavilion, highlighted by a comeback win over No. 15 Penn State and a resilient triumph over Ohio State. Against the Nittany Lions, the Bruins rallied from a 2-1 deficit, winning the final two sets behind a balanced attack led by Maggie Li's 17 kills, Kate Duffey's 48 assists, and a career-high 28 digs from Kat Lutz. UCLA's defense and serving proved decisive, as the Bruins recorded 79 digs and eight aces while closing the fifth set on a 6-1 run to secure their first ranked victory of the season. Two days later, UCLA overcame Ohio State in another five-set battle, hitting .314 with 65 kills and dominating at the net with a 12.5-5 edge in blocks. Li once again paced the offense with 17 kills, while Eliana Urzua (14), Marianna Singletary (11), Mija Bendziute (11) and Brooke Harwood (10) all reached double figures. After building a 2-0 lead and seeing the Buckeyes force a deciding set, the Bruins responded with a composed fifth-set performance, using a late surge before Harwood delivered the match-clinching kill to cap a perfect 2-0 weekend and improve UCLA to 15-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten play.

THE EMERGENCE OF KAT LUTZ
Senior libero Kat Lutz anchored UCLA's back row in its perfect 2-0 week, filling in for the injured Lola Schumacher. In a five-set win over No. 15 Penn State, she turned in a career-best performance with 28 digs and four service aces, repeatedly extending rallies and helping the Bruins contain one of the nation's most prolific offenses. She followed that effort with a team-high 17 digs, seven assists, and an ace in another five-set victory over Ohio State. Across the two wins, Lutz totaled 45 digs, five aces, and seven assists.

STELLAR SINGLETARY
Marianna Singletary has been one of UCLA’s most dominant and reliable forces through the first half matches of the season, pairing elite efficiency with heavy point production. She’s totaled a team-high 176 kills on .335 hitting while racking up 108 total blocks, and 244.0 points, establishing herself as one of the nation’s most productive middles. She ranks seventh nationally in blocks-per-set and fourth in 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.