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Monday, September 1
Long Beach, CA
5:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
at
Long Beach State
Brooklyn Briscoe
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 18 UCLA Opens 2025 Campaign at Long Beach State, Pepperdine
August 29, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
UCLA at Long Beach State
Date/Time:ย Monday, Sept. 1, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location:ย Long Beach, Calif. (Walter Pyramid)
Watch:ย ESPN+
Live Stats:ย Beachlivestats.com
UCLA at Pepperdine
Date/Time:ย Tuesday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m. (PT)
Location:ย Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse)
Watch:ย ESPN+
Live Stats:ย pepperdinewaves.com/coverage
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UCLA OPENS 2025 CAMPAIGN AT LONG BEACH STATE, PEPPERDINE
The UCLA women's volleyball team will begin its 2025 campaign with back-to-back local road matches at Long Beach State and Pepperdine. The Bruins will travel to Long Beach, Calif. on Sept. 1 for the season-opening matchup inside Walter Pyramid before making their way to Malibu, Calif. the following evening for a 6 p.m. matchup inside Firestone Fieldhouse. Both matches will be available for viewing on ESPN+.
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FIRST SERVE
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA holds a 65-19 advantage in the all-time series against Long Beach State. The Bruins have won 11 straight contests, with the last meeting taking place in 2023 when they earned a four-set victory at The Beach. UCLA has also fared well against Pepperdine, winning nine of the last 10 matches. The Bruins also defeated the Waves in 2023, winning a decisive fifth-set at the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu, Hawaii. UCLA leads the all-time series 53-12.
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UCLA IN SEASON OPENERS
UCLA owns a 7-3 record in its last 10 season-opening matches, though three of those losses have come in the past five seasons. The Bruins have split their last two openers, including a thrilling five-set road win over No. 14 Georgia Tech in Atlanta to kick off the 2024 campaign. In 2023, UCLA opened in Baton Rouge, La. with a five-set loss to LSU, but bounced back the next day to edge the Tigers in five and close out head coach Alfee Reft's debut weekend with a statement win. The 2022 opener saw the Bruins fall in four sets to Utah State, while the 2021 squad started strong with a four-set victory at UC Davis. Monday's match at Long Beach State marks UCLA's first season-opener in the state of California since Fall 2021.
ABOUT THE BEACH
Long Beach State enters its second season of the Natalie Reagan era after the head coach saw the interim tag removed during the offseason and was installed as the active head coach in November 2024. Her first season at the helm resulted in a 19-11 overall record (12-6 Big West), good for a fourth-place finish in the Big West. In the Big West Tournament, The Beach fell to top-seeded Cal Poly in the semifinal round. In her final match in a Long Beach State uniform, Zayna Meyer recorded a double-double, collecting 14 assists and 11 digs. The Beach have achieved 19 or more wins in each of the last three seasons. The two teams last met on Sept. 2, 2023 in Walter Pyramid and UCLA earned a four-set victory behind a Bruin block party that featured 19 total blocks. It was the third-highest blocking total in a single match across the last seven seasons.
ABOUT THE WAVES
Pepperdine enters 2025 looking to build on a strong 2024 campaign, where the Waves posted a 17-11 overall record and went 14-4 in WCC play, tying San Diego for second in the conference standings. Despite finishing No. 53 in the RPI during head coach Scott Wong's 10th season at the helm, Pepperdine narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth. The Waves face a new challenge this season with the departure of First Team All-WCC standouts Grace Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson, both graduating after stellar careers. Yet, the program retains one of the West Coast's most promising young stars in sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz. After a breakout freshman campaign, Piskorz became the first Wave since 2016 to earn both First Team All-WCC and All-WCC Freshman Team honors.
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UCLA PICKED FIFTH
UCLA was picked to finish fifth out of 18 teams in the 2025 Big Ten Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. In its first season as a Big Ten member, UCLA women's volleyball finished 14-15 overall and 8-12 in conference play. The Bruins recorded notable wins over No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 24 Washington, and Ohio State, while pushing several ranked opponents to five sets, including reigning NCAA National Champion Penn State. Nebraska was picked as the conference favorite, followed by Penn State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Cornhuskers posted a regular season record of 33-3 and finished atop the Big Ten standings with a 19-1 mark in conference play. Four Bruins earned spots on the 20-member Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team, tying Nebraska for the most selections in the league. Outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li joined middle blockers Marianna Singletary and Phekran Kong in receiving the preseason honors.
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Date/Time:ย Monday, Sept. 1, 5 p.m. (PT)
Location:ย Long Beach, Calif. (Walter Pyramid)
Watch:ย ESPN+
Live Stats:ย Beachlivestats.com
UCLA at Pepperdine
Date/Time:ย Tuesday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m. (PT)
Location:ย Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse)
Watch:ย ESPN+
Live Stats:ย pepperdinewaves.com/coverage
ย
UCLA OPENS 2025 CAMPAIGN AT LONG BEACH STATE, PEPPERDINE
The UCLA women's volleyball team will begin its 2025 campaign with back-to-back local road matches at Long Beach State and Pepperdine. The Bruins will travel to Long Beach, Calif. on Sept. 1 for the season-opening matchup inside Walter Pyramid before making their way to Malibu, Calif. the following evening for a 6 p.m. matchup inside Firestone Fieldhouse. Both matches will be available for viewing on ESPN+.
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FIRST SERVE
- UCLA posted an overall record of 14-15 (8-12 Big Ten) in its inaugural season in the Big Ten.
- The Bruins finished tied for 10th in the conference standings, sharing the spot with Michigan and Indiana with an 8-12 record
- UCLA went 1-5 in five-set matches, including defeats to No. 12 Minnesota, No. 16 USC, No. 3 Penn State, and No. 10 Purdue.
- UCLA welcomes 10 newcomers (five transfers, five freshmen) for the 2025 season.
- Head Coach Alfee Reft enters his third season at the helm.
- Nick Vogel joined Coach Reft's coaching staff in the summer. Vogel spent three seasons as the head assistant for the UCLA men's volleyball program.
- Junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette garnered Honorable Mention AVCA All-American acclaim after her stellar campaign
- Leverette leads the Bruins in points (464), kills (435), points-per-set (4.43), and kills-per-set (4.14).
- Leverette achieved double-digit kills in 20 consecutive matches from Aug. 30 to Nov. 2. She is just the fifth Bruin in the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) to achieve that feat.
- Leverette ranked sixth in the conference in kills-per-set (4.14) and 10th in total kills (435).
- Five transfers bolster Alfee Reft's 2025 squad, including Maggie Li (Cal), Phekran Kong (Louisville), Zayna Meyer (Long Beach State), Marianna Singletary (Texas), and Lola Schumacher (Wisconsin).
- Graduate middle blocker Anna Dodson was named Second Team All-Big Ten for her fourth career all-conference honor
- Dodson led the Bruins with 105.0 blocks and 18 solo blocks
- Audrey Pak ranked fifth in the Big Ten 10.67 assists-per-set during conference play.
- Kiki Horne and Kate Reilly were the only Bruins to appear in every match in 2024.
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA holds a 65-19 advantage in the all-time series against Long Beach State. The Bruins have won 11 straight contests, with the last meeting taking place in 2023 when they earned a four-set victory at The Beach. UCLA has also fared well against Pepperdine, winning nine of the last 10 matches. The Bruins also defeated the Waves in 2023, winning a decisive fifth-set at the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu, Hawaii. UCLA leads the all-time series 53-12.
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UCLA IN SEASON OPENERS
UCLA owns a 7-3 record in its last 10 season-opening matches, though three of those losses have come in the past five seasons. The Bruins have split their last two openers, including a thrilling five-set road win over No. 14 Georgia Tech in Atlanta to kick off the 2024 campaign. In 2023, UCLA opened in Baton Rouge, La. with a five-set loss to LSU, but bounced back the next day to edge the Tigers in five and close out head coach Alfee Reft's debut weekend with a statement win. The 2022 opener saw the Bruins fall in four sets to Utah State, while the 2021 squad started strong with a four-set victory at UC Davis. Monday's match at Long Beach State marks UCLA's first season-opener in the state of California since Fall 2021.
ABOUT THE BEACH
Long Beach State enters its second season of the Natalie Reagan era after the head coach saw the interim tag removed during the offseason and was installed as the active head coach in November 2024. Her first season at the helm resulted in a 19-11 overall record (12-6 Big West), good for a fourth-place finish in the Big West. In the Big West Tournament, The Beach fell to top-seeded Cal Poly in the semifinal round. In her final match in a Long Beach State uniform, Zayna Meyer recorded a double-double, collecting 14 assists and 11 digs. The Beach have achieved 19 or more wins in each of the last three seasons. The two teams last met on Sept. 2, 2023 in Walter Pyramid and UCLA earned a four-set victory behind a Bruin block party that featured 19 total blocks. It was the third-highest blocking total in a single match across the last seven seasons.
ABOUT THE WAVES
Pepperdine enters 2025 looking to build on a strong 2024 campaign, where the Waves posted a 17-11 overall record and went 14-4 in WCC play, tying San Diego for second in the conference standings. Despite finishing No. 53 in the RPI during head coach Scott Wong's 10th season at the helm, Pepperdine narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth. The Waves face a new challenge this season with the departure of First Team All-WCC standouts Grace Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson, both graduating after stellar careers. Yet, the program retains one of the West Coast's most promising young stars in sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz. After a breakout freshman campaign, Piskorz became the first Wave since 2016 to earn both First Team All-WCC and All-WCC Freshman Team honors.
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UCLA PICKED FIFTH
UCLA was picked to finish fifth out of 18 teams in the 2025 Big Ten Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. In its first season as a Big Ten member, UCLA women's volleyball finished 14-15 overall and 8-12 in conference play. The Bruins recorded notable wins over No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 24 Washington, and Ohio State, while pushing several ranked opponents to five sets, including reigning NCAA National Champion Penn State. Nebraska was picked as the conference favorite, followed by Penn State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Cornhuskers posted a regular season record of 33-3 and finished atop the Big Ten standings with a 19-1 mark in conference play. Four Bruins earned spots on the 20-member Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team, tying Nebraska for the most selections in the league. Outside hitters Cheridyn Leverette and Maggie Li joined middle blockers Marianna Singletary and Phekran Kong in receiving the preseason honors.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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