The Bruins haven’t achieved championship glory since 2019.
But 2026 isn’t just a new calendar year – it’s a new opportunity to be crowned the Queens of the Court.
And UCLA isn’t showing any signs of letting Westwood down.
No. 3 seed UCLA beach volleyball (33-6) ousted No. 6 seed Cal Poly (31-9) 3-1 in the quarterfinals and beat No. 2 seed Texas (28-7) 3-2 in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament on Saturday in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
UCLA advanced into the quarterfinals after sweeping No. 14 seed Tulane. Even though the Bruins dipped down from their No. 1 spot at the start of the season, they remained in a steady position to face higher seeds in the tournament’s first round.
“I’m proud of our players that are outside of the 10 that play,” said sophomore Alexa Fernandez. “They go through a lot mentally and emotionally. I’m really proud of them and how they were able to be so selfless and serve our team in any way they could.”
But Cal Poly did not go down without a fight.
The Mustangs’ resilience mirrored the past two matchups against the Bruins this season, which both resulted in tight 3-2 victories for the latter.
Four Mustangs earned AVCA All-American selections – the most of any team in the tournament. Court one duo Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep were named First Team All-Americans, and court two duo Logan Walter and Izzy Martinez were named Second Team All-Americans.
Although the pairs played to their strengths – executing tight cut shots and hits down the line – the San Luis Obispo, California, squad fell to UCLA. Court one duo senior Maggie Boyd and sophomore Sally Perez – who recently earned the MPSF Pair of the Year award for the second consecutive season – won in straight sets against Connor and Inskeep.
And there was a consistent pattern throughout the top court affair.
Boyd set Perez up at the net, a Mustang came up for a block, and Perez avoided the obstacle nearly every time by swinging high-line where no one was home.
The results were less predictable on the other courts.
Court two and court four fell to Cal Poly in the first set – the first signs of the contest coming down to the wire. But freshman Mallory LaBreche and redshirt junior Kenzie Brower secured a crucial two-set win against Peyton Dueck and Katie Clevenger to push the Bruins ahead 2-1.
Ultimately, redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper and sophomore Alexa Fernandez secured the team victory for UCLA on court three, claiming both sets 21-19.
“At the end of the day, we feel like it comes down to our side,” said coach Jenny Johnson Jordan. “We know if we take care of the things we want to take care of on our side, we’ll be able to convert some defensive points and come out ahead.”
A chance for redemption was underway in the semifinals.
UCLA started off the season strong against the Longhorns, sweeping the squad 5-0 in their first two contests against the Austin, Texas, crew.
However, the dominance was not permanent, as the Bruins had lost three straight to the Longhorns ahead of the semifinal contest. Two of the losses happened in the MPSF tournament, including the championship match.
Today, Texas and UCLA were neck and neck from the first serve.
For Boyd and Perez, Texas had delivered three of their five losses this season.
And after losing the first set 21-19, the duo attempted to put the pressure back on Texas.
However, they fell to Brecht Piersma and Katie Hashman in straight sets for the fourth time this season.
Redshirt junior Ensley Alden and redshirt sophomore Kaley Mathews fell in the first set to twins Anna Pavelkova and Kacka Pavelkova on court two. Anna Pavelkova – who stands at 6-foot-2 – used her height to interfere with the Bruins’ offense at the net.
The turning point?
Alden’s ace in the middle of the second set, which brought the Bruins up 15-12. Still, the duo ultimately fell to the Longhorns 15-9.
But the lower courts thwarted Texas from the get-go.
UCLA’s courts three, four and five secured first-set triumphs, with the largest point differential – 21-12 – earned on court three.
A Texas service error on court four closed out the first UCLA win. Court three finished minutes later, with Cooper and Fernandez winning in straight sets.
It was down court five.
After winning the first set, Brower and LaBreche had eight dual points in the second set. The contest wrapped up with LaBreche’s pokey over the left side of the net, securing a win in her first year with the program.
And with UCLA’s victory against the No. 2 seed, the squad secured its spot in the finals against first-time finalist and No. 1 seed Stanford on Sunday.
“I’ve personally never played in a national championship,” Cooper said. “I’ve heard that the energy in the national championship is just unmatched, and you’ll never find it anywhere else. I’m super excited to play and be with my girls.”
