University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Beach Volleyball - NCAA Championships (2)
2019
The second-seeded UCLA beach volleyball team successfully defended its 2018 NCAA title on May 5, 2019, downing crosstown rival and top-seeded USC, 3-0 in the championship match in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The championship-clinching victory came on court three, as senior Zana Muno and freshman Abby Van Winkle defeated USC's Haley Hallgren and Alexandra Poletto, 22-20, 21-13. The Bruins did not lose a match during the tournament, posting a perfect 4-0 record while also defeating Hawai'i (3-2), Florida State (3-0) and LSU (3-0). UCLA finished the season with a 35-3 overall record. Both of the Bruins' pairs on courts three and five, Muno and Van Winkle and Carey and Sparks were all named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The win marked UCLA's 117th NCAA Championship across all sports.
2018
The top-seeded UCLA beach volleyball team made history on May 6, winning the first NCAA Championship in program history. UCLA defeated fourth-seeded Florida State, 3-1, avenging an earlier loss to the Seminoles that put the Bruins one loss away from elimination. They proceeded to win four matches in two days, capped by Sunday's triumph, which gave UCLA its 116th overall NCAA Championship. The Bruins won 35 of its final 36 matches to complete their historic season with a 40-4 overall record. The Seminoles dropped to 33-7. The win marked UCLA's first over Florida State in an NCAA Championship setting, with the Bruins having been eliminated by the Seminoles in 2016 and 2017.