Ahead of facing the top-ranked team in the nation, Stein Metzger said the Bruins are feeling prepared.
“Get ready to see fireworks,” the coach said.
After sweeping their most recent tournament, the Bruins are gearing up to compete for one last time in the regular season. No. 3 UCLA beach volleyball (26-2) will travel to San Luis Obispo, California, to participate in the Center of Effort Challenge, where it will go up against undefeated No. 1 TCU (28-0), No. 19 Pepperdine (15-7) and Cal Poly (11-19) this weekend.
For the first time all season, the Bruins will go into their Friday matchup against the Horned Frogs as the lower-ranked team. As such, graduate student Abby Van Winkle said the same practices had a different energy throughout the week.
“The training hasn’t changed, but there is a different feel,” Van Winkle said. “We have that underdog mentality, but we are here to have fun and play with no expectations because that is when we do our best.”
One aspect of play the Bruins will focus on in the upcoming tournament is quality over quantity, prioritizing the execution of digs over the amount acquired, according to Metzger.
Echoing Metzger, senior Rileigh Powers expressed excitement at competing against an unfamiliar opponent and beyond.
“I haven’t played TCU,” Powers said. “I am looking forward to getting to the postseason since our work will pay off.”
Despite the stakes of the upcoming contest, Powers and Van Winkle said the team is entering the matchup prioritizing its mentality, believing in its work and looking to have fun.
Metzger added that he believes the squad will find the push it needs to succeed in the future.
“I just encouraged them this week,” Metzger said. “We feel like we aren’t playing exactly how we want. Our best volleyball is always ahead of us, but we must recognize that we are also 26-2 and that we have another gear in us for the postseason and this final tournament.
The Bruins last went up against TCU on April 2, 2022, at the UCLA Invitational, where the Horned Frogs defeated the blue and gold by a score of 3-2.
This year, the competition is once again as fierce as ever.
The action begins on Friday at 11:15 a.m., where UCLA will first go up against Pepperdine, followed by TCU at 4:15 p.m. and Cal Poly at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
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