This post was updated April 18 at 2:38 p.m.
In their last regular-season tournament, the Bruins conquered the sand over the top-two teams in the nation.
No. 3 UCLA beach volleyball (30-2, 7-0 Pac-12) traveled to San Luis Obispo to compete in the Center of Effort Challenge with the postseason tournaments looming in the near distance. On Friday, the blue and gold swept No. 19 Pepperdine (16-10) 5-0 and overcame close sets to take down No. 1 TCU (31-1, 5-0 CCSA) by a score of 3-2. On Saturday, UCLA began the day with a 4-1 victory over Cal Poly (11-23) to reach the finals against No. 2 USC (24-2), where the Bruins found their first season victory over their crosstown rivals by a score of 3-2.
The Bruins began the tournament notching their 17th sweep of the year with their defeat of the Waves. After a short hiatus due to an unknown injury, senior Devon Newberry and her new dual partner, graduate student Jaden Whitmarsh, seized their first win of the year.
“It was so great,” Newberry said. “I had been waiting for six weeks and was cheering on my team. It was really nice to get the opportunity to go out and play for my team again.”
Going into the tournament, the Bruins were the underdogs facing the top-ranked and undefeated Horned Frogs. But it all came down to the final match on court three.
After senior Rileigh Powers and graduate student Haley Hallgren won the first set 23-21, TCU’s Sutton MacTavish and Ana Vergara responded with a 13-21 win of their own. Consequently, the third set would decide who would come out on top.
TCU took the first points of the set, but Powers and Hallgren fought until the end, ultimately conquering the court with a 15-10 win. With the victory, the blue and gold took down the only undefeated team in Division I beach volleyball.
Coach Stein Metzger said the Bruins’ victory was a result of collective confidence and overcoming adversity.
“We’re gelling together as a group at the right moment,” Metzger said. “We’ve had some injuries that we’ve dealt with, but people are trending the right direction and feeling free to play at the level we know we’re capable of.”
The Bruins won their tournament pool after improving a 12-0 all-time record against the Mustangs and moved on to the finals against the Trojans. Earlier this season, UCLA fell to USC by a score of 2-3.
But the former avenged its early-season loss during a tough battle with the latter Saturday. The new Newberry and Whitmarsh duo sealed its second win of the tournament to clinch the victory.
Despite claiming the tournament title, Powers and Hallgren suffered their first loss as partners after a 27-0 streak.
Powers said they will keep working hard in practice, especially heading into playoffs.
“As long as it says ‘UCLA wins’ at the end of the day, that’s all I care about,” Powers said. “We’re learning from this loss, but I think we’re ready to keep getting after it.”
The Bruin and Trojan rivalry is not done yet, as the two will battle once again Thursday at Mapes Beach.
Even though the blue and gold took the crown at the Center of Effort Challenge, Newberry said the Bruins are going to keep improving and working on being their best.
“We haven’t peaked yet, and it’s coming,” Newberry said.
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