Associate head coach Amir Lugo-Rodriguez opened the Bruins’ presser at the Big Ten Volleyball Media Days by calling the Big Ten the best conference in the country.
But before they begin play against their Big Ten foes, the Bruins commence their 2024 season with nonconference play this week.
At the GT Invitational in Atlanta, UCLA women’s volleyball will face No. 14 Georgia Tech on Friday and Coastal Carolina on Sunday.
“We’re super excited,” said sophomore libero Kat Lutz. “They (the Yellow Jackets) have a really strong offense, and we’ve been putting in a lot of work during practice to play and compete.”
In the upcoming 2024 season, the Bruins – ranked No. 34 in the preseason rankings and eighth of 18 teams in the Big Ten coaches’ poll – have the opportunity to get back to the 64-team NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
“We don’t expect to have a perfect year and not lose,” said coach Alfee Reft. “But our ability to stay in the fight and our commitment to getting better and remaining a team will put us in the position we want to be at the end of the year.”
Reft – in his second year at the team’s helm – added four freshmen and three transfers in the offseason, possibly bolstering a roster that missed the playoffs in 2023.
“The big focus for us is our ability to find groups with some new pieces on the court and to keep getting better,” Reft said. “We always ask our players to compete hard and our goal is to find ways to compete at our best.”
Lutz said she’s found all the additions to be strong players who’ve gelled with the team. She added that the Bruins’ upcoming slate of 10 away games – nine nonconference before the Big Ten opener against Nebraska – brings an opportunity for the team to bond further.
While there is no shortage of new faces to the program, UCLA also retained 12 players from 2023.
Graduate student middle blocker Anna Dodson – who was named to the Big Ten preseason all-conference team – headlines the pack, returning for her final year of collegiate eligibility before pursuing professional volleyball.
“I’m looking to tweak, refine and upgrade within my game,” Dodson said. “I’m always looking for the coaches’ feedback or input – just for as much knowledge and ways to grow my game and benefit the team.”
One of UCLA’s newcomers is graduate student Kate Reilly. The libero is transitioning to indoor volleyball after competing in beach volleyball for four years – where she became the winningest player in program history at Stanford.
Reilly, a 2023 AVCA Top Flight Award recipient, also gives UCLA added depth in the back row. Alongside Lutz – who played in all 30 matches for UCLA last season – the Bruins could make use of the NCAA’s new two-libero rule.
Under the rule, teams may designate two liberos per set, though they remain limited to one on the court at a time.
“It’s a great addition to collegiate volleyball, but we’re still figuring out if that’s something that might benefit our team or not,” Reft said.
The Bruins’ nonconference slate begins Friday at 4 p.m. and continues Sunday at 9 a.m.
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