UCLA
TCU
No. 3 UCLA Opens 2025 in Hawaii vs. No. 2 TCU
February 19, 2025 | Beach Volleyball
LOSย ANGELES-- No. 3 UCLA (0-0) opens the 2025 season against No. 2 TCUย (0-0) at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic at Queen's Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 11:45 a.m. PT. While in Honolulu, the Bruins will also face No. 11 Arizona State on Feb. 20 at 3:30 p.m. PT.ย Day two will see the Bruins face the tournament hosts, No. 12ย Hawai'i on Feb. 21 at 1:00ย p.m. PTย and then take on No. 5ย Stanford at 4:45ย p.m. PT.ย On day three, the Bruins will square off with No. 7 LMU on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 10:30 a.m. PT and conclude the day with No. 1 USC at 3:30 p.m. PT. No live streams will be available, but Hawai'i will provide live scores for each dual throughout the Tournament. Please check our schedule on UCLABruins.com or follow us on X/Twitter for links.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Opponent:ย No. 2 TCUย (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Time:ย 11:45 a.m. PT/9:45ย a.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 5-2 |ย Streak:ย Won 2
Last Meeting:ย W 5-0 (Mar. 29, 2024ย - Death Volley Invitationalย - LSU Beach Volleyball Stadiumย - Baton Rouge, La.)
Opponent:ย No. 11 Arizona State (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025
Time:ย 3:30 p.m. PT/1:30ย p.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 10-1 |ย Streak:ย Won 10
Last Meeting:ย W 5-0 (Mar. 8, 2024ย - Pac-12 Southย Invitationalย - Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility- Tempe, Ariz.)
Opponent:ย No. 12 Hawai'i (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
Time:ย 1:00 p.m. PT/11:00 a.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 16-6 |ย Streak:ย Won 13
Last Meeting:ย W 5-0 (Feb. 24, 2024ย - Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classicย - Queen's Beach - Honolulu, Hawaii)
Opponent:ย No. 5 Stanford (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
Time:ย 4:45 p.m. PT/2:45ย p.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 22-3ย |ย Streak:ย Won 1
Last Meeting:ย W 3-0ย (Apr. 25, 2024ย - Pac-12 Championship - Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility- Tempe, Ariz.)
Opponent:ย No. 7 LMU (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Time:ย 10:30ย a.m. PT/8:30 a.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 19-5ย |ย Streak:ย Won 2
Last Meeting:ย W 3-2 (Apr. 18, 2024ย - Merle Norman Stadium - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Opponent:ย No. 1 USCย (0-0) |ย LIVE STATS
Location:ย Queen'sย Beachย |ย Honolulu, Hawaii
Date:ย Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Time:ย 3:30 p.m. PT/1:30 p.m.ย HT
Series History:ย UCLA leads 20-27ย |ย Streak:ย Lost 2
Last Meeting:ย L 0-3ย (May 5, 2024ย - NCAA Championship Finals - Gulf Beach Place - Gulf Shores, Ala.)
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 35-7. The Bruins lost the services of Lexy Denaburgย (33-7 overall, 133-36 career), Devon Newberry (32-7 overall, 103-27 career), and Jaden Whitmarsh (25-13 overall, 110-29 career). UCLA also lost the services of reserve Rileigh Powers (3-1ย overall, 95-29 career).ย The sevenย starters returning include:ย from court one, All-American Maggie Boyd (33-7 overall and 60-13 career),ย from court two, Peri Brennan (32-7 overall, 69-12 career), from court three Kenzie Browerย (26-15 overall, 26-15 career), andย Jessie Smith (24-13 overall, 77-30 career), from court four Tessa Van Winkle (26-13 overall and 56-24 career)ย and from court five Ensley Alden (29-6 overall and 29-6 career)ย and Natalie Myszkowskiย (30-6ย overall, 69-15ย career).
RETURNING BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The Bruins also return a starter from the 2022 season in Sophie Moore (2-1ย overall, 43-12 career). There are two 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 (1-0 overall, 1-0 career), andย Reagan Hope (2-0 overall, 21-12 career). Additionally, Jayla Shanks (0-0), Ky Vaickus (0-0), Taylor Ford (0-0), Hannah Fleming (0-0), Harper Cooper (0-0), and Kaley Mathews (0-0) all return looking to make an impact in 2025.
FRESH FACES
The Bruins also brought in a trio of young players that will all debut in 2025. The class includes Sally Perez (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek HS), Alexa Fernandezย (Friendswood, Texas./Lutheran South Academy), and Adelina Okazaki (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma HS).
NO DUAL PARTICIPATION
For the fifth time in program history (and fifth 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 seniorย transfer Reagan Hope (Oregon in 2021-22).
A BRUIN SHALL LEAD US
Entering her 12th year with the Bruins and second season as UCLA's Head Coach, Jenny Johnson Jordan served three seasons as the Associate Head Coach at UCLA prior to assuming the lead role. She guided the Bruins to second-place finishes at the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Championship with an overall record of 35-7 in her first year as the mentor. 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.
ASSISTING JJJ
Jose Loiola: 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 returns for his second season 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.
Kelly Reeves: UCLA standout, Kelly Reeve, the Bruins' first-ever All-American in beach volleyball (2013) returns for her second season as an assistant coach.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.
MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL, THE FIRST SEASON
The Bruins have moved into the MPSF for beach volleyball starting with the 2025 season. UCLA will be joined by California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, USC, and Washington.ย In 2024-25, the MPSF will sponsor competition in 15ย Intercollegiate Olympic sports, while serving 86ย teams from 46ย universities across 14ย states. MPSF teams compete primarily at the NCAA Division-I level in men's and women's water polo, indoor track and field,ย gymnastics, swimming and diving, fencing, beach volleyball, and men's volleyball. MPSF teams are eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships with men's and women's water polo, men's volleyball, and beach volleyball conference champions earning automatic qualification.ย The MPSF's newest sports--beach volleyball, men's rowing, and men's and women's wrestling--make their debut seasonsย in the conference in 2024-25.
MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL EXPANDING IN 2026
Theย MPSFย has announced the addition of Florida State, LSU,ย South Carolina, and Texas to its beach volleyball programs, giving the conference 11 teams beginning with the 2026 season. The Seminoles, Tigers, Gamecocks, and Longhorns, who are competing in their final season in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) this year, will each be making their first-ever appearance in any sport in the MPSF. The MPSF's inaugural beach volleyball season in 2025 features California, Grand Canyon, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington. The first edition of the MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship will be held at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., April 23-25, 2025.
LEXY DENABURGย IS THE UCLA CAREER RECORD HOLDER
Four-time All-American, Lexy Denaburg,ย became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories with a win over Stanford in the semifinals of the contender's bracket of the 2024 Pac-12 Championship.
1. Lexy Denaburgย (133, 2020-24)
2. Abby Van Winkle (128, 2019-23)
3. Izzy Carey (123, 2016-19)
4. Savvy Simo (119, 2017-21)
5. Lea Monkhouse (117, 2019-22)
6. Megan McNamara (111, 2016-19)
7. Jaden Whitmarsh (110, 2019-24)
8. Nicole McNamara (109, 2016-19)
UCLA AS NO. 1 AND VS. NO. 1
As the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA has gone 115-16 (.878) all-time, and is 8-8 (.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, 19-3 in 2023, and 17-2 in 2024 as the nation's top-ranked team.
The UCLA Bruins are 11-19 (.367) 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 8-16.
The Bruins have been involved inย No. 1ย vs. No. 2 matchups 28 times in program history with a 11-17 record (.393) in those meetings. Interestingly, UCLA is just 3-10 (.231) as the top-ranked team in those matchupsย but 8-7 (.533) as the underdog.
MORE ON RANKINGS
Since 2018, no team has been ranked No. 1 for more weeks than the UCLA Bruins (29). USC has spent 22 weeks at No. 1 in the last six-plus 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 45 times in the AVCA Poll, followed by UCLA (28), Pepperdine (17), TCU (6), LSU (4), Hawai'i (1), and Florida State (1).
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA opens the yearย at No. 3ย in the 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Preseason Pollย (Feb. 13).
AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLLย (Feb. 13, 2025)
|
Rank |
ย School (First-Place Votes)ย |
ย Total Pointsย |
ย Recordย |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
USC (11) |
544 |
0-0 |
|
2 |
TCU (16) |
540 |
0-0 |
|
3 |
UCLA (1) |
529 |
0-0 |
|
4 |
Cal Poly (1) |
488 |
0-0 |
|
5 |
Stanford |
469 |
0-0 |
|
6 |
Florida State |
410 |
0-0 |
|
7 |
LMU |
399 |
0-0 |
|
8 |
LSU |
363 |
0-0 |
|
9 |
California |
356 |
0-0 |
|
10 |
Long Beach State |
314 |
0-0 |
|
11 |
Arizona State |
298 |
0-0 |
|
12 |
Hawai'i |
250 |
0-0 |
|
13 |
Georgia State |
176 |
0-0 |
|
14 |
Washington |
157 |
0-0 |
|
15 |
Texas |
133 |
0-0 |
|
16 |
FAU |
131 |
0-0 |
|
17 |
FIU |
94 |
0-0 |
|
18-T |
North Florida |
83 |
0-0 |
|
18-T |
GCU |
83 |
0-0 |
|
20 |
Stetson |
71 |
0-0 |
Others receiving votes:ย Arizona (56), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (36), South Carolina (35), Tulane (19), Pepperdine (12), Boise State (8), FGCU (2), Coastal Carolina (1).
Next Poll:ย Feb. 25
