With the weight of a Pac-12 title on their shoulders and the No. 1 ranking attached to their name, the Bruins have high expectations heading into the national championships.
But despite carrying those accolades, coach Stein Metzger emphasized that the team can’t change its mindset.
“If we have expectations that we should win, psychologically it could be a disadvantage,” Metzger said. “We need to come in with the mindset that our backs are against the wall, every team is good enough to win at this tournament, and we just need to show up and play well.”
No. 1 seed UCLA beach volleyball (37-3, 7-0 Pac-12) will compete in the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in program history. With two national titles under their belt, the Bruins will begin their pursuit of a third when they face No. 17 seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi (25-9, 6-0 SLC) in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in the first round Friday.
The Islanders are coming off of a conference title of their own. And since then, they swept No. 16 seed UT Martin in the play-in round of the NCAA tournament.
Last year, the Bruins lost a chance at a national title after falling to Florida State in the contender’s bracket. But with the added pressure of a single-elimination tournament this year, the team has just one chance to make it to the finals.
Every year since, the title has been a battle for Los Angeles between UCLA and USC. When one team wins the Pac-12 championship, they’ve typically carried that momentum into NCAAs and taken that crown home too. With this year’s Pac-12 title achieved, the Bruins have a chance to maintain the pattern and take back the trophy from the defending-champion Trojans.
Nine of the blue and gold’s 10 starters from last season are returning this year to compete. Graduate student Abby Van Winkle, who became the UCLA all-time leader in career victories and earned Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will be competing in the final NCAA tournament of her career.
Van Winkle said her veteran experience has taught her plenty, but she’s just taking in her last moments as a UCLA beach volleyball player.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and be grateful for everything that I have in this last tournament,” Van Winkle said. “This is our last time as a team together, so it’s just been super special.”
Competing against the top-ranked teams in the nation, the Bruins have traveled with the same starters that they’ve had throughout the season. The starters for the NCAA tournament have not yet been released by Metzger.
Junior Peri Brennan will be playing in the first NCAA tournament of her career despite being on the roster for three. Brennan said with the pressure to uphold recent honors and the spot as the No. 1 seed, the blue and gold are eager to play together one last time as a team.
“I feel like we have this unmatched culture this year,” Brennan said. “Stein has said multiple times that all across the board, all of the teams have such good chemistry with one another.”
The Bruins arrived in Gulf Shores a few days ahead of their first-round contest against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The weather will play a factor in the matches, as winds will reach up to 12 mph, and the hot, humid Alabama climate will be unlike the West Coast temperatures UCLA is accustomed to.
As UCLA approaches its final matches of the season, it will have the chance to obtain its third national championship after back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. After a historic season, Brennan said the Bruins are hoping to bring it all home.
“Coming into the NCAAs, we want to come in like we are in the contender’s bracket and like we’ve already lost a game,” Brennan said. “We’re all just very hungry and ready to beat whoever’s in front of us.”
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