SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah has decided to drop beach volleyball as a varsity sport after eight years in part because of conference realignment.

Utah introduced beach volleyball — an Olympic sport since 1996 — in 2017, when the Utes competed in the Pac-12 Conference. The Pac-12 had nine beach volleyball programs at the time but most of those schools have since left for the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.

Utah is now in the Big 12, which has just three other beach volleyball programs and no automatic qualifying spot for the NCAA Tournament for its league champion.

“This was an extremely difficult decision,” athletics director Mark Harlan said this week. “We looked at the landscape of intercollegiate beach volleyball and the future opportunities of our student-athletes.”

Calling beach volleyball’s growth at the college level “stunted,” Harlan noted that just 12 power conference schools sponsor such teams “with little evidence of the sport expanding at this time.”

Harlan said the Utah athletic department would “work closely with each of our impacted student-athletes to provide them with all of the support they need” and honor the scholarships of those who decide to complete their education at Utah.

“Should a current or incoming student-athlete elect to pursue their sport at another school, Utah will do all that it can to facilitate the process,” Harlan said, adding that scholarship funds which had been dedicated to the beach volleyball program will be redirected to our other women’s sports.

Utah will now sponsor 19 intercollegiate sport programs in the coming academic year.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last month, you know that World Aquatics announced the addition of 50s of backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games event lineup.

The swimming community’s response has been mostly positive, with Olympians and swim enthusiasts vocalizing their excitement for these rapid-fire races.

Speculation of who potentially could be the first-ever 50m sprint Olympic champions is happening all over the world and it’s not just limited to swim fans in the stands.

World Aquatics recently asked Australian Olympic multi-medalist Kyle Chalmers who could be at the top of the podiums just about three years from now.

To start, he’s not shy about pegging an Aussie duo for the men’s and women’s 50m backstroke, identifying Isaac Cooper and Kaylee McKeown as the inaugural champions.

Via the social media post below, hear who else Chalmers has tabbed for gold and his reasoning for the predictions.

Kyle Chalmers Who have you got for the 50m in @LA28 we are going to back at this 3 years from now and check these answers pic.twitter.com/Ka65sIhvuX

— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) May 1, 2025

Chalmers’ Predictions:

• 50m back – Isaac Cooper (AUS) & Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
• 50m breast – Adam Peaty (GBR) & Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)
• 50m free/fly – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE)

The Wisconsin Badgers are losing a player to the transfer portal, as it was reported by the Wisconsin State Journal’s Dennis Punzel that libero Lola Schumacher is headed elsewhere for her sophomore season.

Schumacher was a key piece as a true freshman, playing in 30 games, while starting 23 at libero, leading the team with 3.64 digs per set. She was named to the 2024 All-Big Ten Freshman Team as a result.

Stepping in at a position of uncertainty for the Badgers, Schumacher played better than expected, but was expected to be competing with incoming freshmen Aniya Warren and Kristen Simon this fall.

Wisconsin was expected to be active in the spring transfer portal for another piece, but that may come at another position, as Florida star Kennedy Martin made the major decision to leave the Gators on Thursday.

A 6’6 opposite, Martin is a two-time All-American and would’ve likely been in the conversation for Player of the Year in 2024. She has two years of eligibility remaining.

The Badgers were already looking for an opposite hitter after losing transfer Grace Lopez to a torn ACL, and the opportunity to land a premier player at the position has now opened up.

Martin could also go the pro route and bypass her remaining collegiate eligibility, so it’s still up in the air what her next decision will be. But, if Wisconsin is ultimately able to land her, it would be a major addition for the program heading into 2025.

Buena Vista, Va. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced its 2025 Top Flight award winners, and Southern Virginia University’s Flight 1 duo, Kami Milius and Claire Grasteit, have been recognized among the nation’s best.

The Top Flight program, now in its seventh year, celebrates beach volleyball pairs who compete in at least 15 matches at the same flight and win at least 75% of those matches. This year, only 88 pairs from 45 schools across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and two-year colleges earned this distinction—highlighting the elite level of performance required to make the list.

Milius and Grasteit, both freshmen, stood out in Southern Virginia’s inaugural beach volleyball season, finishing the year with a team-best 23-6 record at the top flight. Their remarkable chemistry, and competitive spirit anchored the Knights throughout a groundbreaking debut campaign that lead up to a seventh-place finish at the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships.

Head Coach Jon Baker shared high praise for the standout freshmen duo:

“Way to go Kami and Claire. I’m so proud of them. I believe they are the only freshmen pair to be recognized. They are so awesome and they worked so hard this year. I see big things happening for them in the future.”

The Knights closed their first-ever season with 12 total wins, establishing themselves as a rising force in NCAA Division III beach volleyball. With Milius and Grasteit leading the charge, the future of Southern Virginia beach volleyball looks brighter than ever.

For the latest updates on Southern Virginia beach volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_beach on Instagram.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Utah outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo, who is entering her junior season with the Utes in 2025, has been named one of 18 athletes on the U.S. Women’s U21 National Team that will train for the 2025 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup in July.
 
Gibadlo, who earned honorable mention All-America honors in her sophomore season at Utah, competed for USA Volleyball in 2024 as a member of the U21 National Team.
 
“I’m so happy for Kamryn’s invitation to represent the USA for a second straight summer,” said head coach Beth Launiere. “She worked extremely hard this spring and is ready to go to another level with her game. Competing with and against other top players in the country will be a great challenge, but she is well prepared for this opportunity.”
 

The 18 athletes announced this week by USA Volleyball will take part in a training block from July 13-19 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The 12-member team determined from that training block will compete for the Cup July 20-28, in San Jose, Costa Rica.
 
Gibadlo started all 31 matches for the Utes in 2024 and was named first-team All-Big 12 and AVCA All-District, in addition to her honorable mention All-America nod. She appeared in 111 sets and led the Utah offense on multiple fronts with 22 double-digit kill matches, putting away 370 total kills and averaging 3.33 kills per set. The Cave Creek, Ariz., native, recorded double-digit kills with a .300+ hitting percentage 12 times during the 2024 season. In 22 matches against AVCA top-100 opponents, Gibadlo posted a .259 hitting percentage, averaging 3.49 kills per set.

Gibadlo also excels in the classroom, as she earned 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.

 

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Third-ranked and top-seeded UCLA (30-6) is in Gulf Shores, Ala., for the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship (May 2-4) at Gulf Place Beach. The Bruins will face 16th-seeded Chattanooga (26-5) on Friday, May 2 at 10:00 a.m. CT/8:00 a.m. PT. The dual will be televised live on ESPN2.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

Opponent: No. 16 Chattanooga (26-5)

Links: LIVE STATS | WATCH DUAL | COURT 1 | COURT 2 | COURT 3 | COURT 4 | COURT 5

Location: Gulf Place Beach | Gulf Shores, Ala.

Date: Friday, May 2, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. CT/8:00 a.m. PT

TV: ESPN2

Series History: First ever meeting | Streak: n/a

BRUINS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

UCLA is making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025 and has won two national titles (2018 and 2019). The Bruins set a school, Pac-12, and NCAA record with 40 wins during the 2018 and 2023 campaigns. UCLA is 26-11 (.703) all-time in duals at the NCAA Championship and has three second-, two third- and one fifth-place finish in addition to the two national titles. Additionally, the Bruins have a 233-144 (.618) record in total sets played during the NCAA Championship.

BRUINS AGAINST THE 2025 NCAA FIELD

UCLA plays one of the most difficult schedules in the country every year and this year’s slate was no different, having faced teams in the 2025 NCAA Championship field a total of 24 times out of 36 completed duals for a record of 18-6 (.750). The Bruins were just 9-6 (.600) against the Top 5 seeds and 9-0 against teams seeded sixth through 16th. On the year, UCLA went 2-1 vs. No. 2 TCU, 3-1 vs. No. 3 Stanford, 2-1 vs. No. 4 LMU, 1-2 vs. No. 5 USC, 1-1 vs. No. 6 Cal Poly, 2-0 vs. No. 7 Texas, 2-0 vs. No. 8 Florida State, 1-0 vs. No. 9 Long Beach State, 2-0 vs. No. 10 California, 2-0 vs. No. 11 LSU, 0-0 vs. No. 12 North Florida, 0-0 vs. No. 13 Florida Atlantic, 0-0 vs. No. 14 Boise State, 0-0 vs. No. 15 Georgia State, and 0-0 vs. No. 16 Chattanooga.

2025 AVCA ALL-AMERICANS

The UCLA Bruins have four players represented on the 2025 AVCA All-America teams, as announced by the AVCA, which unveiled its 13th annual Collegiate Beach All-America Teams on April 30. This year, the first and second teams include 16 members each, and the 32 players honored represent 12 schools. UCLA has now produced 30 AVCA All-Americans. The Bruins’ court one pair of junior Maggie Boyd and freshman Sally Perez were both named AVCA First Team All-Americans. It marked the third-straight year that Boyd has made the First Team. Perez was the only freshman in the country to earn First Team accolades. The duo is 28-4 (all on court one) on the year entering the NCAA Championship. UCLA’s court two pair of graduate Peri Brennan and senior Natalie Myszkowski landed on the Second Team. For Brennan, it was her third-straight Second Team All-America plaudits while it was the first for Myszkowski. A quartet of schools each have four All-Americans. That group includes Cal Poly, Stanford, UCLA, and USC.

BRUINS SWEEP 2025 MPSF AWARDS

The UCLA Bruins swept the 2025 MPSF Beach Volleyball postseason awards as announced by the league on May 1. Junior Maggie Boyd was named Player of the Year, her partner on court one, Sally Perez, was named Freshman of the Year, the duo was named the MPSF Pair of the Year, and Bruin Head Coach Jenny Johnson Jordan was tabbed the Coach of the Year.

Boyd (Flower Mound, TX) earned the inaugural MPSF Beach Volleyball Player of the Year award. Boyd has played on court one for 32 of UCLA’s 36 matches. She takes a 29-4 record (.879) into the NCAA Tournament, including 28-4 on court one and 1-0 on court two. She is currently on an 11-match win streak, including an unbeaten MPSF Tournament, completing a stretch of seven wins over the top-five in April. Of her 29 wins, 25 have come against ranked opponents (24 with Sally Perez on court one), including 17 wins against the top-10, and 10 wins over top-five competition. Boyd earned two MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week awards (Apr. 15 & Mar. 11). Her second honor was following the Bruins’ capturing of the Center of Effort Challenge in San Luis Obispo, in which she went 4-0, including handing Daniela Alvarez and Hailey Hamlett of No. 1 TCU their first loss of the year. Boyd’s first weekly award came after she and the Bruins went 4-0 at Stanford’s Midseason Rumble, which also earned her and Perez AVCA National Pair of the Week honors.

Perez (Apex. NC) earned the inaugural MPSF Beach Volleyball Freshman of the Year award. Perez has played on court one for 32 of UCLA’s 36 matches, taking a 28-4 record (.875) into the NCAA Tournament, including a 10-match win streak. Of her 28 wins, Perez has partnered with Maggie Boyd to defeat 24 ranked opponents, including 17 wins against the top-10, and 10 wins over top-five competition. Perez was unbeaten in the MPSF Tournament, completing a stretch of seven wins over the top-five in April. Perez earned two MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week awards (Apr. 15 & Mar. 11). Her second honor was following the Bruins’ capturing of the Center of Effort Challenge in San Luis Obispo, in which she went 4-0, including handing Daniela Alvarez and Hailey Hamlett of No. 1 TCU their first loss of the year. Perez’ first weekly award came after she and the Bruins went 4-0 at Stanford’s Midseason Rumble, which also earned her and Boyd AVCA National Pair of the Week honors.

Johnson Jordan earned the inaugural MPSF Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year award. The Bruins take the top seed to the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 30-6 record (.833). UCLA has posted 25 wins over AVCA ranked opponents, 10 wins over the Top-10, and seven wins over the top-five which included the final three matches of the regular season. Additionally, UCLA has spent the entire season ranked in the AVCA’s Top-three, and ranked either first or second since late February. UCLA picked up five of the nine MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week awards, as well as an AVCA National Pair of the Week recognition for Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez (Mar. 9), and placed three of its four all-conference student-athletes on the first team.

Additionally, Boyd and Perez were joined by graduate Peri Brennan as First-Team All-MPSF selections. Brennan’s partner on court two, senior Natalie Myszkowski was the lone Bruin to earn Second-Team All-MPSF honors. Brennan and Myszkowski have gone 29-6 on the year (27-6 on court two and 2-0 on court one).

Perez also landed on the MPSF All-Freshman team where she was joined by Bruin Alexa Fernandez. Fernandez is 19-13 on the year going 17-8 on Kaley Mathews (1-0 on court three, 14-8 on court four, and 2-0 on court five), 2-4 with Tessa Van Winkle (all on court four), and 0-1 with Kenzie Brower (on court three).

BRUINS SWEEP 2025 MPSF AWARDS

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named Jose Loiola as the AVCA National Assistant Beach Coach of the Year on May 1, 2025. Loiola just completed his second season as an assistant with the UCLA beach volleyball team in 2025, helping the Bruins earn a No. 1 seed in this weekend’s NCAA Championship.

• Loiola and the Bruins arrive in Gulf Shores as the top seed in the NCAA Championship after going 30-6 during the 2025 season.
• This is the beach volleyball Hall of Famer‘s second year as an assistant under Bruin Head Coach Jenny Johnson Jordan.
• He has helped the Bruins to the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA Beach Poll in seven of the 11 weeks this season.
• The 2025 UCLA team had four players earn AVCA All-American honors: Maggie Boyd, Peri Brennan, Natalie Myszkowski, and Sally Perez.
• This is Loiola‘s first AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year award.

UCLA Head Coach Jenny Johnson Jordan also earned this distinction in 2019.

MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP

The top-seeded Bruins finished third in the inaugural 2025 MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship (April 23-25). UCLA opened with a 3-0 win over ninth-ranked California in the semifinals (April 24) but fell to third-ranked Stanford, 3-1, in the winner’s bracket final (April 24). Fifth-ranked USC defeated UCLA, 3-1, in the finals of the contender’s bracket (April 25), eliminating the Bruins from the tournament.

BOYD, PEREZ NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK AGAIN

UCLA junior Maggie Boyd (Flower Mound, Texas) and freshman Sally Perez (Apex, N.C.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week as announced by the league office on April 15. The Bruin duo went 4-0 to help UCLA win all four duals and capture the Center of Effort Challenge crown in San Luis Obispo, Calif. (April 11-12). UCLA opened with a 3-2 win over No. 4 LMU with Boyd and Perez winning in straight sets, before the pair defeated No. 12 Arizona State in straight sets. Day two began with the Bruins knocking off No. 1 TCU, 3-2, with Boyd and Perez rallying for a three-set win after dropping the first set, which handed Daniela Alvarez and Hailey Hamlett their first loss of the year. The top pair concluded the tournament with a straight-set win over No. 5 Stanford. This is the second MPSF award for Boyd and Perez this season.

BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK

UCLA graduate student Peri Brennan (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and senior Natalie Myszkowski (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week as announced by the league office on March 18. The Bruin duo helped UCLA go 6-0 last week with four wins over ranked teams. The Bruins defeated (RV) Concordia and Morehead State, 5-0 (Mar. 11) before heading to Manhattan Beach to host the East Meets West Invitational (Mar. 14-15). There, the Bruins took down No. 12 Texas and No. 11 LSU 4-1 on day one, and beat No. 8 Florida State and No. 19 FIU 5-0 on day two. Myszkowski and Brennan went 6-0 on the week without dropping a set. They went 5-0 on court two and 1-0 on court one, and only allowed their opponents to reach 17 in three of the 12 sets they played. This is the second MPSF award for Brennan and Myszkowski.

BOYD, PEREZ NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK

UCLA junior Maggie Boyd (Flower Mound, Texas) and freshman Sally Perez (Apex, N.C.) have been named the MPSF/Molten Pair of the Week as announced by the league office on March 11. The UCLA duo played a pivotal role in the Bruins’ 4-0 team record at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble at Stanford (March 7-8), where the court one pair was also unbeaten. Boyd and Perez secured the team-clinching dual victories over No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California, which included a 5-1 run at the end of set three for the win over Cal. The duo also finished off the 5-0 team sweeps with their top court wins over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon. This is the first MPSF award for Boyd and Perez.

BOYD, PEREZ NAMED AVCA/CBVB NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK

Junior Maggie Boyd (Flower Mound, Texas / Marcus HS) and freshman Sally Perez (Apex, N.C. / Middle Creek HS) have been named the AVCA/CBVB Collegiate Beach Pair of the Week as announced by the AVCA on March 10. This is the second AVCA/CBVB weekly national honor for Boyd and the first for Perez. Boyd and Perez played a pivotal role in UCLA’s impressive performance at the inaugural MPSF Midseason Rumble where the Bruins went 4-0, as did this tandem. Boyd and Perez showcased their resilience and skill by securing crucial victories at No. 1. They clinched the dual against No. 5 Stanford and No. 9 California and completed the 5-0 sweeps over Oregon and No. 16 Grand Canyon.

BRENNAN, MYSZKOWSKI NAMED MPSF/MOLTEN BEACH PAIR OF THE WEEK

UCLA graduate Peri Brennan (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and senior Natalie Myszkowski (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) were named the MPSF/Molten Beach Pair of the Week as announced by the league office (Feb. 25). The Bruin duo helped UCLA go 5-1 (all against Top-12 teams) to win the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic for the fourth consecutive year in Honolulu, Hawaii (Feb. 20-22). The No. 2 pair also went 5-1 in the tournament, including the clinching point of the Bruins’ win over No. 2 TCU in straight sets, 21-17, 29-27. They also posted straight-set wins over No. 12 Hawai’i (21-14, 21-8), No. 7 LMU (23-21, 21-16), and No. 1 USC (21-14, 23-21), and had a three-set victory over No. 11 Arizona State (21-9, 19-21, 15-13). This is the first-ever recognition of any kind presented in MPSF Beach Volleyball. For Brennan, this is her fourth weekly conference award (three-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 21, 2023, March 19, 2024, April 16, 2024), and for Myszkowski, this is her third (two-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week; March 22, 2022, April 2, 2024).

RETURNING STARTERS

The Bruins return seven of 10 starters from last year’s second-place team at the NCAA Championship that saw UCLA end the year with an overall record of 35-7. The Bruins lost the services of Lexy Denaburg (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 (3-1 overall, 95-29 career). The seven starters returning include: from court one, All-American Maggie Boyd (33-7 overall and 60-13 career), from court two, Peri Brennan (32-7 overall, 69-12 career), from court three Kenzie Brower (26-15 overall, 26-15 career), and Jessie Smith (24-13 overall, 77-30 career), from court four Tessa Van Winkle (26-13 overall and 56-24 career) and from court five Ensley Alden (29-6 overall and 29-6 career) and Natalie Myszkowski (30-6 overall, 69-15 career).

RETURNING BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT

The Bruins also return a starter from the 2022 season in Sophie Moore (2-1 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. This group includes Madeline Bonanni (1-0 overall, 1-0 career), and 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 Fernandez (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 one player with collegiate indoor experience in senior transfer Reagan Hope (Oregon in 2021-22).

A BRUIN SHALL LEAD US

In her 12th year with the Bruins and second season as UCLA’s Head Coach in 2025, Jenny Johnson Jordan sports an overall record of 65-13 (.833).She 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 Famer (2018), Johnson Jordan won 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 the AVCA National Assistant Beach Coach of the Year on May 9, 2019.

ASSISTING TRIPLE J

Jose Loiola: Beach volleyball Hall of Famer (CBVA in 2014 and International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017) and USA Beach Volleyball National Team head coach Jose Loiola returns for his second season an assistant coach. He was named the AVCA Collegiate Beach Assistant Coach of the Year on May 1, 2025. Loiola was a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruins in 2021, helping guide UCLA to a Pac-12 Championship and NCAA runner-up finish. 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. 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 the 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. In 2024-25, the MPSF will sponsor competition in 15 Intercollegiate Olympic sports, while serving 86 teams from 46 universities across 14 states. MPSF teams compete primarily at the NCAA Division-I level in men’s and women’s water polo, indoor track and field, 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. The MPSF’s newest sports–beach volleyball, men’s rowing, and men’s and women’s wrestling–make their debut seasons in the conference in 2024-25.

MPSF BEACH VOLLEYBALL EXPANDING IN 2026

The MPSF has announced the addition of Florida State, LSU, 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.

A TRIO OF BRUINS CHASING 100 CAREER WINS

Three Bruins are seeking to reach 100 career wins in 2025 and two of them are all currently tied for 11th place on the UCLA career wins list with 98 victories. Those two include graduate Peri Brennan and senior Natalie Myszkowski. Senior Jessie Smith is currently in 14th place with 91 victories. Four-time All-American, Lexy Denaburg, became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories last year with a win over Stanford in the semifinals of the contender’s bracket of the 2024 Pac-12 Championship.

1. Lexy Denaburg (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)

9. Devon Newberry (103, 2019-24)

10. Elise Zappia (102, 2015-18)

11. Peri Brennan (98, 2021-25)

11. Natalie Myszkowski (98, 2022-25)

13. Rileigh Powers (95, 2020-24)

14. Jessie Smith (91, 2022-25)

15. Lily Justine (87, 2017-20)

UCLA AS NO. 1 AND VS. NO. 1

As the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA has gone 134-19 (.876) all-time, and is 9-9 (.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 going 16-1 in 2018, 31-3 in 2019, 7-2 in 2020, 13-3 in 2021, 12-2 in 2022, 19-3 in 2023, 17-2 in 2024, and 15-3 in 2025 as the nation’s top-ranked team.

The UCLA Bruins are 12-20 (.375) 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: Pepperdine 2-3; TCU 2-0; USC 8-17.

The Bruins have been involved in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups 30 times in program history with a 12-18 record (.400) in those meetings. Interestingly, UCLA is just 3-11 (.214) as the top-ranked team in those matchups but 9-7 (.563) as the underdog.

MORE ON RANKINGS

• UCLA has been ranked in the AVCA Poll in 122 of 123 weeks.
• UCLA has been ranked No. 1 in 42 of 123 weeks (Leaders: USC 50, UCLA 42, Pepperdine 17, TCU 9, LSU 4, Florida State 1, Hawai’i 1).
• Only seven teams have ever been ranked No. 1: USC (50, last 2/13/25), UCLA (42, last 4/22/25), Pepperdine (17, last 3/26/18), TCU (9, last 4/29/15), LSU (4, last 3/2/21), Florida State (1, last 3/16/21), Hawai’i (1, last 3/10/15).
• UCLA has been ranked in Top 3 in 89 of 123 weeks (Leaders: USC 98, UCLA 89, Florida State 45, Pepperdine 45, TCU 29, Hawai’i 19).
• UCLA has been ranked in Top 5 in 106 of 123 weeks (Leaders: USC 120, UCLA 106, Florida State 105).
• Since 2018, no team has been ranked No. 1 for more weeks than the UCLA Bruins (42). Others: USC (27), TCU (9), Pepperdine (4), LSU (4), Florida State (1).

POLLING THE BRUINS

UCLA slid two spots to No. 3 in this week’s 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll (April 29).

AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH VOLLEYBALL POLL (April 29, 2025)

Rank	School (First-Place Votes Adjusted)	Total Points Adjusted	Record	Previous Week
1	TCU [9]	537	28-5	2
2	Stanford [8]	530	31-8	3
3	UCLA [10]	523	30-6	1
4	Loyola Marymount [1]	473	35-6	4
5	USC	433	26-10	5
6	Cal Poly	415	29-7	6
7	Texas	396	27-9	7
8	Long Beach State	356	27-11	10
9	Florida State	346	25-12	8
10	California	315	27-9	9
11	LSU	280	24-12	11
12	Arizona State	251	22-14	12
13	Grand Canyon	201	23-11	13
14	North Florida	181	26-10	17
15	FAU	167	21-14	16
16	Stetson	149	25-11	14
17	Georgia State	110	22-16	18-T
18	Hawai’i	63	14-21	15
19	Florida Gulf Coast	56	22-13	18-T
20	Washington	53	17-18	20

Others receiving votes: Boise State (20), Tulane (14), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3), Coastal Carolina (2), FIU (2), Utah (2), South Carolina (1) and Concordia (1).

Dropped Out: None

Next Poll: May 6 (Final 2025 Poll)