Brad Pitt was once asked whether the journey or the destination is more important during a speech.
The Hollywood actor paused for a moment on stage and answered – “it’s the company.”
And the Bruins have fortified relationships with teammates while traveling to multiple tournaments, helping them solidify camaraderie and reinforce the team’s family-oriented culture.
UCLA beach volleyball participated in the BVNE Collegiate Pre Season tournament Saturday and Sunday at North Beach in Santa Monica, California, which concluded its fall campaign. Four Bruin pairs played at the tournament, and two reached the championship match.
But similar to UCLA’s Surf City Collegiate Challenge outing in October, coach Jenny Johnson Jordan did not let the Westwood pairs duel in the title contest.
“Our coaches shut it down because (we’ve) had multiple fall tournaments and … had a hard practice week,” said redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper.
Cooper and junior Ava Williamson were awarded first place over Bruin tandem sophomores Sally Perez – who made her first fall season appearance Saturday – and Alexa Fernandez.
Jordan noted that Cooper’s ability to embrace on-the-court versatility was on full display, given that the tournament marked the first time she had partnered with Williamson.
And Fernandez has clinched the championship match in all of her preseason tournament performances this season despite playing with a different Bruin teammate in every tournament, a feat she credited to her heightened competitive focus and summer preparation.
“That’s been a big focus for me, turning it on as soon as I step on the court, … playing my best every single time I step on the court,” Fernandez said. “During the summer I played in a lot of tournaments that were high-stakes. Coming into the preseason, I was already prepared.”
The Bruin squad seemingly boasts strong ties to eachother, given many athletes’ abilities to thrive regardless of who lines up next to them.
Although UCLA’s campus is nearly seven miles away from Santa Monica, travel allows Jordan’s squad to cultivate friendships off the court, which the head honcho said bolsters her team’s on-court performance.
And the Bruins rarely discuss volleyball en route to road tournaments.
“I think the most valuable conversations are the ones that are not even about volleyball, the ones that are just like them spur the moment,” Cooper said. “Those … really help us bond the most.”
These bonds have also intensified the Bruins’ competitive spirits, even when battling in practice.
Fernandez even said that she hoped to duel against Cooper and Williamson in the championship contest Sunday, and the luck-of-the-draw outcome plagued her yet again. The sophomore lost a rock-paper-scissors match to seal her second-place finish at the Surf City Collegiate Classic last month.
The Bruins still prioritize positive competition, regardless of the team’s fiery mentality.
“Building that trust and bond outside of the court allows us to be competitive and fiery on the court,” Cooper said. “The competitive nature of when we have game days, or if we’re competing against our other teammates, it’s never in a negative way. It’s always in a positive way.”
The two other UCLA duos – consisting of senior Maggie Boyd and junior Cassie Dodd, along with freshmen Mallory LeBreche and Alina Ryan – earned shares of the Bronze Draw championship on Sunday.
LeBreche shifted partners three times across three fall outings, achieving a podium finish in two separate draws.
The Bruins will begin their spring season in February, giving the squad nearly three months to continue to strengthen relationships and fulfill Pitt’s belief in the importance of company.
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