The UCLA beach volleyball team began the defense of their back-to-back titles yeserday and, initially, everything was going according to plan. The Bruins swept TCU, 3-0, in Dual #1 to advance to Dual #7. But, then, the defending champs ran into the story of the day — the Loyola Marymount Lions.

Meanwhile, the Lions defeated the LSU Tigers, 3-2, in Dual #2 to advance to Dual #7 against UCLA.

Against TCU, the Bruins didn’t lose a set. Abby Van Winkle and Lindsey Sparks were the first Bruins to finish off their opponents when they swept Maria Gonzalez and Rochelle Scott, 21-12, 21-17. Over on Court Four, Megan Muret and Jacqueline Quade dispatched Megan Jacobsen and Trinity Cavanaugh, 21-13, 21-17. Savvy Simo and Lexy Denaburg clinched the win when they beat Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno Mateeva, 21-19, 21-12.

As a result, play was terminated on Courts Two and Five. On Court Two, Lea Monkhouse and Devon Newberry won their first set against Olivia Blackburn and Hailey Brockett, 21-18. Their second set was tied, 17-17, when play was stopped. Over on Court Five, Rileigh Powers and Jaden Whitmarsh had won their first set against Caroline White and Josie Miller, 21-19, and they were up, 15-10, in the second set when play was stopped.

In Dual #7 against LMU, Court Four finished first and Muret and Quade fell to Jacinda Ramirez and Darby Dunn, 21-13, 21-11, giving LMU a 1-0 lead. But Simo and Denaburg were able to tie it 1-1 with their win over Iya Lindahl and Megan Rice in straight sets, 21-13, 21-12. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the dual when Van Winkle and Sparks defeated Savannah Slattery and Jessie Prichard, 21-17, 21-16.

But the lead was short-lived as Monkhouse and Newberry lost to their opponents, Reka Orsi Toth and Selina Marolf, 21-18, 21-19. That meant that the dual would be decided by the results on Court Five.

That’s where things initially looked good for UCLA when Powers and Whitmarsh won the first set, 21-15. But, then, the tide turned. Emma Doud and Madi Firnett took the second set, 21-19. That also meant that the dual came down to the third set on Court Five. Unfortunately, Doud and Firnett took that set, 15-10.

Now, the Bruins will have to fight their way out of the losers’ bracket if they want to be able to defend their back-to-back titles. That begins this afternoon when UCLA faces Cal Poly.

Cal Poly Mustangs

The Bruins faced the Mustangs twice during the regular season. The first meeting occured at Southern Cal at the beginning of March. UCLA won that match 5-0. Then, three weeks ago, they played again. In that match, the Bruins won the match, 3-2, but they clinched the match after four courts finished. So, it would have finished with a score of 3-1 if play on the final court had been stopped once the match was clinched.

Outlook

That would seem to give the Bruins the edge when the teams meet again this afternoon. Now, that’s only half the equation today. Assuming the Bruins get past Cal Poly, and that’s not certain at this point, UCLA will have to face the winner of the other dual in the loser’s bracket. That match is between Florida State and LSU. The Bruins will need to beat whichever team survives that dual in order to take on the loser of today’s semifinal between LMU and Southern Cal tomorrow morning.

NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships

When: Saturday, May 8, 2021
Where: Gulf Beach Place, Gulf Shores, AL
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app

Dual #10

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (29-4) vs. #7 seed Cal Poly Mustangs (24-10)
Scheduled Time: 12:30 pm PT
Live Stats: NCAA.com

Dual #12

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (29-4) vs. #4 LSU (26-8)
Scheduled Time: 3:30 pm PT
Live Stats: NCAA.com

Official Championship Preview


Go Bruins!!! Bring home #120!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.