UCLA
California
No. 1 UCLA Tri-Hosts Battle for LA with USC, LMU
February 29, 2024 | Beach Volleyball
LOSย ANGELES-- No. 1 UCLA (4-3) tri-hosts the Battle for LA this weekend with No. 3 USC and No. 5 LMU. At the Bruins' site at Mapes Beach, competition will start on Friday, Mar. 1 at 10:00 a.m. PT with No. 1 UCLA hosting No. 8 California, followed by a 12:00 p.m. dual with No. 18 Cal Poly. Then to conclude the first day, No. 18 Cal Poly and No. 8 California will face off at 2:00 p.m. On day two at Mapes Beach, UCLA will face No. 13 Washington at 10:00 a.m. PT and follow that up with a dual against No. 9 Long Beach State at Noon. Then LBSU and UW will square off at 2:00 p.m. to conclude the tournament. No stream will be provided but live scores will be provided for each dual (see links below). There is a chance of rain this weekend, higher on Saturday, so please plan accordingly. Admission to the event is free.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Opponent:ย No. 8 California (4-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Friday, Mar. 1, 2024
Time:ย 10:00 a.m. PT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 14-0 |ย Streak:ย Won 14
Last Meeting:ย W 3-1 (May 6, 2023ย - NCAA Championshipย - Gulf Beach Placeย - Gulf Shores, Ala.)
Opponent:ย No. 18 Cal Poly (4-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Friday, Mar. 1, 2024
Time:ย 12:00 p.m. PT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 12-0 |ย Streak:ย Won 12
Last Meeting:ย W 4-1 (Apr. 15, 2023ย - Center of Effort Challenge - Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex - San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Opponents:ย No. 18 Cal Poly (4-0) vs. No. 8 California (4-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Friday, Mar. 1, 2024
Time:ย 2:00 p.m. PT
Opponent:ย No. 13 Washingtonย (2-2) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
Time:ย 10:00 a.m. PT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 12-0 |ย Streak:ย Won 12
Last Meeting:ย W 3-2 (Apr. 8, 2023ย - Pac-12 North Invitational - Beach Volleyball Stadium - Stanford, Calif.)
Opponent:ย No. 9 Long Beach State (2-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
Time:ย 12:00 p.m. PT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 10-4ย |ย Streak:ย Won 10
Last Meeting:ย W 5-0ย (Mar. 12, 2023ย - Battle for LA - Mapesย Beachย - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Opponents:ย No. 9 Long Beach State (2-0) vs. No. 13 Washington (2-2) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Mapes Beachย |ย Los Angeles, Calif.
Date:ย Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
Time:ย 2:00 p.m. PT
LAST WEEK'S LINE IN THE SAND
The then second-ranked Bruins won arguably one of the most competitive tournaments there will be this regular season, taking the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic crown with a 4-1 win over No. 1 USC in the finals on Feb. 24, 2024). Also on Feb. 24, the Bruins defeated No. 7 Stanford, 3-2, in the semifinals immediately after defeating No. 9 Hawai'i in the quarterfinals in the first match of the day. The Bruins avenged an earlier 3-2 loss to the Cardinal the day before, when they also lost, 3-2, to No. 5 LMU (Feb. 23) to conclude pool play. The Bruins suffered a 4-1 season-opening loss to No. 1 USC on Thursday, Feb. 22, but rebounded for a 5-0 sweep of No. 9 Hawai'i later that day, which marked the first collegiate win for first-year head coach Jenny Johnson Jordan.
RETURNING STARTERS
The Bruins return seven of 10 starters from last year's second-place teamย at the NCAA Championship that saw UCLA end the year with an overall record of 40-4 (tied for the most wins in UCLA, Pac-12, and NCAA history). The Bruins lost the services of Abby Van Winkle (35-7 overall, 128-34 career), Haley Hallgren (32-4 overall, 116-38 career), and Marlie Monserez (27-5 overall, 48-17 career). UCLA also lost the services of reserve Kelli Greene-Agnew (10-4ย overall, 87-48 career).ย The sevenย starters returning include:ย from court one, All-Americans Lexy Denaburg (32-7 overall, 100-29 career)ย and Maggie Boyd (27-6 overall and career),ย from court two, Peri Brennan (34-5 overall, 37-5 career), from court three Rileigh Powers (31-4 overall, 92-28 career), from court four Jessie Smith (26-6 overall, 53-17 career), and from court five Jaden Whitmarsh (24-3 overall,85-16 career)ย and Devon Newberry (13-0 overall, 71-20 career).
RETURNING BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The Bruins also return two players that started most of the 2022 season in Sophie Moore (13-4 overall, 41-11 career), Natalie Myszkowski (11-2 overall, 39-9 career), and Tessa Van Winkle (21-9 overall, 30-11 career). There are five additional players coming back from last year's team and ready to compete for a spot in the Bruins' lineup.ย This group includes Madeline Bonanni (0-0), Kenzie Brower (0-0), Reagan Hope (0-0), Jayla Shanks (0-0), and Ky Vaickus (0-0).
FRESH FACES
The Bruins also brought in several young players that will all debut in 2024. The class includes Harper Cooper (Rowlett, Texas/Parish Episcopal), Hannah Fleming (Santa Cruz, Calif./Scotts Valley HS), Taylor Ford (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista HS), and Kaley Mathews (Marin County, Calif./Redwood HS).
NO DUAL PARTICIPATION
For the fourth time in program history (and fourth consecutive year), the UCLA beach volleyball program does not have a single player from the Bruins' indoor volleyball team currently playing on the roster. UCLA only has oneย playerย with collegiate indoor experience in juniorย transfer Reagan Hope (Oregon in 2021-22).
A NEW ERA BEGINS
Entering her 11th year with the Bruins and firstย season as UCLA's Head Coach, Jenny Johnson Jordan spent the previous three seasons as the Associate Head Coach at UCLA. She is currently 4-3 (571) in her first season, getting her first victory as a head coach in a 5-0 sweep at No. 9 Hawai'i on Feb. 22, 2024. She also picked up her win over a No. 1 team and her first win over USC when the Bruins took down the Trojans, 4-1, to win the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic on Feb. 24, 2024. An Olympian, a National Champion, and a UCLA Hall of Famerย (2018), Johnson Jordan wonย NCAA titles as both a player (1991 - indoor) and a coach (2018 and 2019 - beach). Jordan was inducted into the CBVA Hall of Fame (Nov. 3, 2018) and was named theย AVCA National Assistant Beach Coach of the Year on May 9, 2019.
Johnson Jordan completed her staff during the off-season and brought backย beach volleyball Hall of Famerย (CBVA in 2014 and International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017)ย and USA Beach Volleyball National Team head coach Jose Loiola as an assistant coach. Loiola was a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruins in 2021, helping guide UCLA to a Pac-12 Championship and NCAA runner-up finish.ย After Loiola's previous season with the Bruins, he went on to coach 2020 Olympian Tri Bourne and also served as head coach of the USA Volleyball squad that won gold at the 2021 U19 World Championships. In 2022, he coached Miles Partain and Andy Benesh to gold at the FIVB Challenger Dubai. ย
She then completed her coaching staff with the Bruins' first-ever All-American in beach volleyball (2013), UCLA standout Kelly Reeves.ย In addition to her playing career, Reeves has developed a coaching career in all levels of the sport, including juniors, collegiate, USAV development, and amateurs. In 2022, Reeves helped the LMU Lions finish 4th at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, the best finish in the program's history. That same year, Reeves was a recipient of the Thirty Under 30 Beach coaches award from the AVCA. Reeves is also a National Champion, helping the Bruins win the indoor title in 2011. She has played on the AVP since 2016 and has also competed on theย NORCECA Tour and FIVB World Tour.
PAC-12ย BEACH VOLLEYBALL, THE FINAL SEASON
In 2016, beach volleyball was added as the 23rd Pac-12-sponsored sport beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. With nineย member institutions (Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington)ย currently fielding beach volleyball teams, the Conference of Champions was the first major conference to sponsor beach volleyball as an official sport.ย As part of the addition, the Pac-12 has also sponsored a Beach Volleyball Championship, which the Bruins won last year, and have won two of the last three and three of the last five. This year's final Pac-12 Championship will be hosted by Arizona Stateย at the new Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility April 24-26.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONS (2023)
No. 1ย UCLA (37-3) came all the way back through theย contender's bracket with three straightย 3-0 sweeps of No. 3 USC (28-5), No. 8 Stanford (28-12) and No. 9 California (28-9)ย on Friday (Apr. 28)ย to capture its third Pac-12 Conference Championship atย Stanford's Beach Volleyball Stadium. UCLA earned its 21st-23rdย sweep of the year, whichย ties for the most in program history, which was established by the NCAA Championship team of 2019. The Bruins opened with a 3-0 sweep of Utah on Apr. 26 and then dropped its first-ever dual to Stanford, 3-2, on Apr. 27. The Bruins advanced to the semifinals of the contender's bracket with a 3-0 sweep of Arizona on Apr. 27 before making their Championship run the following day.ย UCLA became just the second team to come from the contender's bracket to win a title (USC did it in 2017 against the Bruins).
PAC-12 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
The UCLA Bruins had two pairs named to the Pac-12 Championship All-Tournament Team in 2023. Both pairs went 5-0 during tournament play and they included Peri Brennan and Abby Van Winkle on court two and Jaden Whitmarsh and Devon Newberry on court five.
LEXY DENABURG IS MOVING ON UP
Last year, 2023 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year,ย Abby Van Winkle,ย became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories with a win over USCย in the semifinals of the contender's bracket of the 2023 Pac-12 Championship. The two-timeย All-American (2022 and 2023) finished with 128ย career victories to her credit. This year, graduate student and three-time All-American, Lexy Denaburg is going to challenge that mark as she currently sits in seventh place with 104 career wins on the Bruins' top court.
1.ย Abby Van Winkle (128, 2019-23)
2. Izzy Carey (123, 2016-19)
3. Savvy Simo (119, 2017-21)
4. Lea Monkhouse (117, 2019-22)
5. Megan McNamara (111, 2016-19)
6. Nicole McNamara (109, 2016-19)
7. Lexy Denaburg (104, 2020-24)
8. Elise Zappia (102, 2015-18)ย
Other current Bruins and their career totals in wins (Rileigh Powers - 92, Jaden Whitmarsh - 88, Devon Newberry - 77).
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE RECORD BOOK
Two current UCLA student-athletes are on pace to break the Bruins' all-time career wins, established last season by Abby Van Winkle at 128. Graduate students Lexy Denaburg (seventh place with 104 wins) and Rileigh Powers (ninth place with 92 victories), are in their final seasons with the Bruins in 2024. Denaburg had 32 wins a year ago and Powers was right behind with 31.
UCLA AS NO. 1 AND VS. NO. 1
As the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA has gone 98-17 (.852) all-time, but justย 7-7 (.500) against USC when the Bruins are No. 1. The first time UCLA was ranked No. 1 came in April of 2018 and since then, UCLA has been ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks every season, including goingย 16-1 in 2018, 31-3 in 2019, 7-2 in 2020, 13-3 in 2021, 12-2 in 2022, and 19-3 in 2023 as the nation's top-ranked team.
The UCLA Bruins are 10-17 (.370) all-time against the top-ranked teams in the country. UCLA began 0-5 against the nation's top-ranked programs (2013-16) before breaking through with its first-ever win over a No. 1 team in the 3-2 home win over then top-ranked Pepperdine on March 30, 2016. Here's a breakdown of the Bruins against the No. 1 teams: Pepperdineย 2-3; TCU 1-0; USC 7-14.
MORE ON RANKINGS
Since 2018, no team has been ranked No. 1 for more weeks than the UCLA Bruins (30). USC has spent 20 weeks at No. 1 in the last six years while TCU (6), Pepperdine (4), LSU (4), andย Florida State (1) round out the list. Overall, the Trojans have been ranked No. 1 a total of 43 times in the AVCA Poll, followed by UCLA (29), Pepperdine (17), TCU (6), LSU (4), Hawai'i (1), and Florida State (1).
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA jumped a spot to No. 1 in this week's 2024 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Pollย (Feb. 27).
AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH VOLLEYBALL POLLย (Feb. 27, 2024)
|
Rank |
School (First-Place Votes Adjusted) |
Total Points Adjusted |
Record |
Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UCLA (9) |
453 |
4-3 |
2 |
|
2 |
Stanford (9) |
450 |
4-1 |
7 |
|
3 |
USC (3) |
442 |
4-2 |
1 |
|
4 |
Florida State (3) |
409 |
3-0 |
3 |
|
5 |
LMU |
377 |
2-3 |
5 |
|
6 |
TCU |
367 |
4-0 |
4 |
|
7 |
LSU |
327 |
3-1 |
6 |
|
8 |
California |
314 |
4-0 |
8 |
|
9 |
Long Beach State |
283 |
2-0 |
10 |
|
10 |
Hawai'i |
254 |
0-5 |
9 |
|
11 |
Arizona State |
225 |
4-0 |
18 |
|
12 |
FIU |
214 |
5-0 |
13 |
|
13 |
Washington |
158 |
2-2 |
15 |
|
14 |
GCU |
150 |
4-0 |
14 |
|
15 |
FAU |
146 |
2-2 |
11 |
|
16 |
Georgia State |
128 |
2-2 |
12 |
|
17 |
Stetson |
123 |
4-0 |
16 |
|
18 |
Cal Poly |
118 |
4-0 |
20 |
|
19 |
Tampa |
35 |
2-2 |
NR |
|
20 |
Arizona |
16 |
4-0 |
NR |
Others receiving votes:ย Pepperdine (15), Tulane (12), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8), North Florida (6), South Carolina (4), Boise State (3), and Coastal Carolina (3)
Dropped Out:ย South Carolina and Pepperdine
Next Poll:ย March 5
