This post was updated May 3 at 8:38 p.m.
Some programs can only dream of championship glory.
But some embody it.
No. 3 seed UCLA beach volleyball (34-6) secured its third national championship in program history – and first since 2019 – on Sunday morning in Gulf Shores, Alabama, sweeping No. 1 seed Stanford (38-5) 3-0. The championship victory marked coach Jenny Johnson Jordan’s first in her three-year stint at the helm and secured UCLA’s 127th title trophy across all sports.
“The entire year, we knew what our goal was and knew what we wanted,” said redshirt sophomore Kaley Mathews. “Every single day we came in and grinded, no matter what was going on in our personal lives. We persevered and, obviously, we came out on top.”
The Bruins dominated on courts one, two and four, earning straight-set victories to spearhead the team victory.
But the Bruins’ title hopes nearly took a hit when sophomore Sally Perez twisted her ankle on the top court early in the first set.
Perez jumped at the net to attempt a spike, but she landed directly on Avery Jackson’s foot. Perez fell to the sand grabbing her lower ankle as UCLA’s athletic training staff came out to tend to the 2026 MPSF Player of the Year.
Jackson – who won the FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championship alongside Perez – stood over her former court partner and looked concerned.
Yet, Perez stood up after a couple minutes and returned to play. She helped spearhead a 10-point victory in set one alongside Boyd.
“It’s just a testament to all year, … trying to be mentally strong and, no matter what happens, what adversity we face, trying to take each point with the same mentality as the last one,” Boyd said. “Me and Sally did that really well after she got injured. We just stayed calm, we stayed mentally tough.”
And it was court one where Jordan’s squad sealed the championship triumph.
Up 20-19, Boyd dove to bump a kill attempt from Stanford’s Kelly Belardi, lifting the ball in the air for Perez to slam it over the net.
The sophomore found an uncovered area of the court and propelled the ball to the open sand on a hefty swing, recording the game-winning and title-securing kill.
Perez fell to her knees, pumping her fists in celebration before collapsing to the sand as the onlooking Bruins swarmed their leading tandem.
For Boyd, the Sunday victory represented her first national championship across her four-year collegiate career. The 2026 AVCA Player of the Year reached the championship game twice in 2023 and 2024, but she had never claimed the ultimate prize – up until Sunday.
“It’s a long season from the time we report in the middle of September until now,” said Jordan. “They’re asked to make choices to sacrifice a lot in their time.”
Mathews and redshirt junior Ensley Alden mirrored the court-one pair’s success, sweeping Stanford pair Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra on court two.
Junior Ava Williamson and freshman Jesse Dueck closed out a tightly-contested second set on court four 25-23 to notch the Bruins’ second point of the competition.
“She (Williamson) works really hard,” Jordan said. “She has a great attention to detail, and she just finds a way.”
After securing the inaugural set 21-17, Williamson – who transferred from Arizona State ahead of the 2026 campaign – lofted a serve over right ahead of Stanford’s Indigo Clark, whose dig spiraled the ball to the net and allowed the Bruins to secure the second-set point and the match victory.
UCLA also led on courts three and five ahead of the court one triumph, with sophomore Alexa Fernandez and redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper, along with freshman Mallory LaBreche and redshirt junior Kenzie Brower, claiming the first set in their respective dual matches. Both tandems also led in the second set before the Bruins sealed their victory.
Boyd said the Bruins remained confident in achieving their ultimate goal – a national championship – even after losing the MPSF Championship to Texas on April 24.
“This team has grown just in terms of confidence,” Boyd said. “We haven’t won a national championship since 2019 and, this year, we didn’t talk about past years, look forward to what we can do this season, and that’s all we focused on, day in and day out.”
