With a four-game winning streak cushioning its only loss in the 2023 books, UCLA women’s volleyball is continuing its season on island time. The team will travel to Honolulu for the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge, facing Pepperdine, Liberty and Hawai’i over the course of four days in an effort to repeat last year’s sweep of the same tournament. Here is the tournament scouting report from women’s volleyball contributor Nicole Augusta – who is stepping away from the Copy desk to write this breakdown.

Pepperdine
Coach: Scott Wong
X-Factor: Meg Brown

Seven years ago, the Bruins defeated the Waves in Malibu. In the latest matchup of a 23-year history that skews three games in favor of UCLA, Pepperdine will be the first team to meet the 2023 squad at the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge.

Coach Scott Wong is fresh off Pepperdine’s fourth NCAA tournament bid since 2018, bringing forward a team boasting two 2022 All-West Coast Conference First Team players. With an eye for new blood, Wong has mentored four WCC Freshman of the Year winners during his tenure, and has most recently signed a five-season contract extension with the Waves to guarantee his stay until at least 2027.

Pepperdine is predicted to finish second in the WCC below San Diego according to the conference’s preseason coaches poll. Outside/opposite hitter Grace Chillingworth and defensive specialist/libero Riley Patterson lead the team’s charts in kills and digs, respectively, for totals of 57 and 61 so far this season.

But only one Wave will see a familiar face on the court this weekend – middle blocker Meg Brown. The Santa Ana local will make the transition from friend to foe after playing alongside UCLA’s redshirt senior middle blocker Anna Dodson this summer while training with the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team. Brown also earned first-team honors alongside Chillingworth last year and is making waves in this year’s preseason polls with an All-WCC preseason team selection.

When it comes to competing with the Bruins, the Waves trail in kills, assists and digs for the season. Pepperdine’s efficiency could prove its edge, as it boasts higher service aces per set and digs per set than UCLA.

But with UCLA’s sophomore outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette holding the team lead in service aces for the season with seven – notching three in the Northwestern State matchup alone – Pepperdine setter Birdie Hendrickson may have met her match.

If the Bruins can maintain a strong offensive presence this weekend, it may be enough to crash the Waves.

Liberty
Coach: Trevor Johnson
X-Factor: Delaney Dilfer

For the second time this season, UCLA will enter uncharted territory as it faces a program for the first time in team history. Liberty, currently riding a six-game winning streak, will be fighting the prospect of losing its first game of the year.

Holding the cumulative season lead over its 2023 opponents in kills, attempts, assists and blocks, Liberty has dominated its matchups. It has also proven to outperform in perseverance, notching two comeback wins in both of its most recent contests against Yale and High Point.

Coach Trevor Johnson enters this season with 2022 championship experience under his belt, having secured both a regular-season title and conference final appearance. Courtesy of Johnson’s offensive vision, Liberty exited last year’s regular-season play with four players recording over 300 kills apiece.

Senior setter Delaney Dilfer is the name to watch among the Flames. Coming off of a Conference USA Setter of the Week recognition in the week of Aug. 28, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Setter of the Year has shown no sign of slowing down this season. Leading the team in assists – with a margin of 190 between herself and runner-up defensive specialist/libero Erica Lowery – Dilfer cannot be underestimated going into this matchup.

UCLA’s freshman setter Ashley Mullen may be the kryptonite to Liberty’s superpower. Though Mullen doesn’t have the same collegiate experience, this summer she served as an alternate for the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team and is currently leading the Bruins in assists with a total of 139 – but still not nearing Dilfer’s category-high 214. However, despite not starting in all of UCLA’s contests so far this season, Mullen has achieved three games of more than 40 assists each, proving her impact on the court.

Ahead of the Bruins in kills, aces, assists and digs, the Flames may have a perfect conference record for a reason. For UCLA to make its mark on this historical matchup, it will need to keep pushing the envelope.

Hawai’i
Coach: Robyn Ah Mow
X-Factor: Amber Igiede

In a meeting of West Coast giants, the Bruins will lock horns with the Rainbow Wahine for the final tournament showdown.

Coming off of a pair of wins against USC, Hawai’i is the only team in the Outrigger pool that has faced a ranked opponent. And for the Rainbow Wahine, this manifested in a win against then-No. 13 San Diego and a loss to then-No. 9 Oregon.

Seeking a fourth consecutive Big West title and sixth consecutive NCAA tournament bid, coach Robyn Ah Mow entered this season with back-to-back Big West Coach of the Year awards. With these accolades in tow and and nothing to prove in the wake of previous successes, Ah Mow’s team is composed of nine returning players and six new ones.

Tied for kills, neck-and-neck in assists, and leading in digs, Hawai’i may have an edge on UCLA this weekend. It will be up to the Bruins’ junior defensive specialist/libero Peyton Dueck, who leads both squads in digs, to offset the margin held by the Rainbow Wahine.

Achieving her seventh Big West weekly honor in the form of Offensive Player of the Week – her fourth time receiving that award specifically – Amber Igiede is the Rainbow Wahine’s offensive stalwart. With 70 kills so far, the senior passed the 1,000 kill mark during Hawai’i’s second contest against USC this season.

But while Igiede’s prowess may bring her to the spotlight, her individual talent may not surpass the cumulative power the Bruins bring to the table. Her dig count does not eclipse that of graduate student middle blocker Desiree Becker – and even senior outside/opposite hitter Iman Ndiaye only trails Igiede’s kill total by one, enough to consider her to be an equal.

The outcome of this matchup hinges on a collective Bruin effort, as the Rainbow Wahine leaders are poised to capitalize on any shortfall.