Consistency can be the difference between contenders and champions.
And this weekend, the Bruins etched theirs in the sand.
No. 1 UCLA (15-2) swept every opponent at the East Meets West Invitational, defeating No. 5 Texas (10-4), No. 8 Arizona State (11-3), No. 12 LSU (11-7) and FIU (5-8) across the two-day tournament in Manhattan Beach, California, on Friday and Saturday.
“We’re in a good place, but we’re not where we want to be for May, “ said coach Jenny Johnson Jordan. “So remembering that, whether we win or lose, that we’re still growing. We’re still trying to prove and get better and work on things so that by the time the end comes, we feel like we’ve done everything we can do to be at our best.”
That growth was evident across UCLA’s victories against Arizona State and LSU on Friday, before closing the weekend with victories over Texas and FIU on Saturday.
The Bruins began the weekend against the Sun Devils, where junior Ava Williamson faced her former team for the first time since transferring to Westwood. Williamson and freshman Jesse Dueck secured a straight-set victory on court four, helping spearhead UCLA’s weekend-opening sweep.
“I was a little bit nervous because it’s my old team, and a lot of my friends are still there,” Williamson said. “But I think I was really confident in the preparation that we had done, and I was really confident in the rest of my team to pick me up no matter how I was feeling.”
Williamson made an immediate impact in her first season in Westwood, boasting a 16-1 record. Her versatility has given UCLA additional flexibility in its lineup, pairing up with several different teammates, like redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper, redshirt junior Ensley Alden and Dueck this season.
Cooper continued her breakout campaign remaining undefeated with a 17-0 individual record this season. Cooper recently partnered with sophomore Alexa Fernandez, and the duo’s chemistry was evident in their three straight-set victories over the weekend.
“I give all the credit to my team and my teammates and my coaches,” Cooper said. “All the credit goes to the people in practice who helped me get better every day and set me up for success in the game.”
Saturday’s slate also included a victory over the Longhorns – the highest-ranked opponent UCLA faced at the event. The Longhorns previously defeated No. 13 Hawaii, a team that handed UCLA its first loss this season at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic on Feb. 19.
The Bruins remain focused on sustaining their success throughout the season to avoid last year’s trajectory, Jordan said. The 2025 squad opened with a similarly strong record before struggling later in their campaign, ultimately losing in the semifinals of the NCAA championships.
The Bruins will compete at another road tournament, heading to Texas to face another slate of top competition from March 27 to March 28.
“It’s going to be tough to go away somewhere and go down in Texas and play top teams in the country,” Jordan said. “That will be another great test of what we can do when we’re not playing at home.”
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