Prioritizing mindset, UCLA beach volleyball heads to Pac-12 North Invitational

One of the Bruins’ main focuses as a team is mentality.

In last week’s East Meets West Invitational, the blue and gold fell to then-No. 4 Florida State, tallying just its second loss of the season.

The team was able to redeem itself from the setback in its final contest of the weekend against No. 11 Georgia State, which coach Stein Metzger said is a good omen for the upcoming games.

“When you get one loss, you have to keep going,” Metzger said.

No. 4 UCLA beach volleyball (22-2, 3-0 Pac-12) is set to head to Stanford for its third Pac-12 North Invitational in three years. The blue and gold will face No. 9 California (18-5, 1-0) and No. 10 Stanford (19-6, 2-1) on Friday, followed by contests against No. 13 Washington (12-10) and Arizona (16-4, 1-1) on Saturday.

This will be the Bruins’ third meeting with the Cardinal thus far into the season. The first matchup between the two teams came in their first 2023 tournament, the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic, where the Bruins extended their winning streak over the Cardinal to 18, preventing the latter from obtaining its first-ever win over the former.

Metzger said the blue and gold will need to play at the top of its game, with the home team still eager to notch that maiden win.

“Every time we play them, they are extremely hungry to play and beat us,” Metzger said. “Our team knows that we’re going to have to be ready and play well. They’re not going to hand it to us.”

The Cardinal aren’t going to be the only tough opponent the Bruins will face this weekend, according to graduate student Jaden Whitmarsh. Three of UCLA’s opponents are ranked, with Arizona being the only squad left off the AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Poll despite still receiving 49 votes.

However, rankings and stats don’t intimidate the Bruins, as Whitmarsh said the team has been working on mentally staying together, especially in the tougher matches.

“We want to come out swinging,” Whitmarsh said. “We want to continue to stay connected with our partner and focus more on our side of the net rather than get worried or flustered about our opponents.”

The loss to Florida State didn’t sit well with UCLA, according to Metzger, but it has motivated the blue and gold to continue to work on its mentality.

“The team is showing some resiliency by being able to show up right away against a difficult loss,” Metzger said. “Coming in these last few weeks, it’s going to be important for us to hit our stride and start playing at a higher level.”

This tournament will be one of the blue and gold’s last of the 2023 season prior to the beginning of postseason play April 26 with the Pac-12 championship.

Graduate student Abby Van Winkle, who is playing in her fourth Pac-12 North Invitational, said confidence will assist the team this weekend and for the rest of the season.

“We’re going to have to go out there and take our games,” Van Winkle said. “We can’t just sit back and wait to win. It’s definitely helped our mindset moving forward, and it’s going to make us stronger in the end.”

UCLA will begin tournament play at 10 a.m. against Cal at the Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium on Friday.