University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Kaley Mathews and Ensley Alden are among three Bruin pairs honored
Photo by: Jesus Ramirez
Three Bruin Pairs Earn AVCA Top Flight Honors
May 01, 2026 | Beach Volleyball
UCLA's top three pairs earned AVCA Top Flight awards for 2026. Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez were honored on flight 1, Ensley Alden and Kaley Mathews on flight 2, and Harper Cooper and Alexa Fernandez on flight 3.
The Top Flight program, now in its eighth year, recognizes beach pairs who compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and win at least 75% of their matches.ย
Boyd and Perez, the MPSF Pair of the Year and first-team All-Americans, enter the week with a 30-5 record on court 1. They have six clinching victories this year, most on the team. Their .857 winning percentage ranks No. 8 in UCLA history, and their 61 career wins rank No. 2 overall. Boyd won the 2026 AVCA Player of the Year award, and Perez was awarded MPSF Player of the Year. This is their second consecutive Top Flight award and Boyd's third straight.
Alden and Mathews are 22-6 overall this year - 18-5 on court 2 and 4-1 on court 3. This is Alden's second Top Flight award. She previously won in 2024 as a freshman with Natalie Myszkowski on court 5. Alden earned second-team All-America honors and first-team All-MPSF acclaim this season. Mathews was a second-team All-MPSF honoree this year.ย
Cooper and Fernandez have posted an 18-4 overall record in 2026. They are 17-4 on court 3 and 1-0 on court 2 and have four clinching matches, including three of UCLA's last eight victories.ย Cooper earned second-team All-MPSF honors this season. ย ย ย ย ย
The Top Flight program, now in its eighth year, recognizes beach pairs who compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and win at least 75% of their matches.ย
Boyd and Perez, the MPSF Pair of the Year and first-team All-Americans, enter the week with a 30-5 record on court 1. They have six clinching victories this year, most on the team. Their .857 winning percentage ranks No. 8 in UCLA history, and their 61 career wins rank No. 2 overall. Boyd won the 2026 AVCA Player of the Year award, and Perez was awarded MPSF Player of the Year. This is their second consecutive Top Flight award and Boyd's third straight.
Alden and Mathews are 22-6 overall this year - 18-5 on court 2 and 4-1 on court 3. This is Alden's second Top Flight award. She previously won in 2024 as a freshman with Natalie Myszkowski on court 5. Alden earned second-team All-America honors and first-team All-MPSF acclaim this season. Mathews was a second-team All-MPSF honoree this year.ย
Cooper and Fernandez have posted an 18-4 overall record in 2026. They are 17-4 on court 3 and 1-0 on court 2 and have four clinching matches, including three of UCLA's last eight victories.ย Cooper earned second-team All-MPSF honors this season. ย ย ย ย ย
Players Mentioned
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