UCLA women’s volleyball (8-2) is just days away from commencing Pac-12 play after locking in its strongest nonconference record since 2016. The Bruins will step foot in Pauley Pavilion for the first time this season, kicking off a four-game homestand on Wednesday before getting back on the road to head south to Arizona. Here is a pre-Pac-12 breakdown of the Bruins from assistant Sports editor Ira Gorawara – who is tired of having to watch games and write 8,000 miles away from Westwood.

Setter
Personnel: Ashley Mullen, Audrey Pak

It’s a game of tug of war between UCLA’s setter tandem.

With almost an even number of starts across the first 10 games of the season, ambiguity continues to surround the starting setter role between freshman Ashley Mullen and senior Audrey Pak.

The loss of setter Matti McKissock, who led UCLA with 9.95 assists per set in 2022, left a vacancy in the position. The Bruins have almost overcompensated, fielding a double dose of capable setters.

Mullen’s high school figures and closet of national accolades have seamlessly carried over to the collegiate courts. The rookie displayed poise in her inaugural game with UCLA, notching 43 assists against LSU – a feat she has yet to beat. Since game one, the Kansas City local has recorded 248 assists on the season, boasting an average of 7.68 assists per set in games she starts.

But in the midst of witnessing first-year talent, Pak has made her noteworthy return to the court. After redshirting her junior season and appearing in just three contests the year prior, Pak is continuing the trajectory set by her freshman year figures, in which she ranked 10th in the Pac-12 with 6.15 assists per set.

The senior has already registered career-high tallies this season. She eclipsed her previous single-match assist record during the second match of the season, amassing 34 against LSU. On the defensive end, Pak has also reached 18 blocks this season – six times her 2021 total.

Coach Alfee Reft is confronted with a double-edged dilemma, as both of his setters have displayed prowess in the front row.

Opposite/outside hitter
Personnel: OH Carly Hendrickson, Opp Kate Lane, OH Cheridyn Leverette, OH/Opp Iman Ndiaye, OH/Opp Grayce Olson, OH Joy Umeh

The spotlight of UCLA’s season premiere has been stolen by its pin hitters.

Whether serving as the decisive factor in nail-biting rallies or igniting the Bruin offense when a run is needed, four of these six Bruins have been the dynamic force behind UCLA’s nonconference successes.

Sophomore Carly Hendrickson, who transferred to Westwood after just two matches with Florida last year, has already played in nine games, most recently mustering a total of 16 kills across both matchups against the Sooners. Should she sustain this level of performance and improvement, the Pac-12 landscape holds great potential for the newcomer.

The trio of senior Iman Ndiaye and sophomores Cheridyn Leverette and Grayce Olson holds sway over UCLA charts in both kills and service aces. Ndiaye outshines all Bruins with 140 kills this season, while Leverette leads the pack with 11 service aces throughout nonconference play. Olson slates in at second in service aces – tied with Ndiaye at 9 – and in kills with 106, as the reigning Pac-12 All-Freshman honoreee has yet to tally a single-digit kill count this season.

Missing the double-figure kill mark just once this season, Ndiaye is registering unprecedented numbers on the offensive end, sitting within the top 10 of the Pac-12 in kills and points. Outside of the attack, Ndiaye has become a stalwart in UCLA’s defense and serving ends as well. She has already tripled her 2022 dig-per-set average and has joined the Bruin serving rotation, posting nine service aces this season.

It’s been a season of firsts for Olson. As the recipient of her first All-Tournament Team award at the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge, she shattered her own records in each of UCLA’s three matchups. After clinching a career-high four blocks against Pepperdine, she managed an unrivaled .684 hitting percentage in the Liberty matchup and finally 16 kills against Hawaiʻi. Olson has already rewritten her own story this season and remains a formidable threat on both sides of the net.

UCLA holds a treasure trove of talent within its ranks. With any pin hitter stepping forward, the ambit for excellence knows no bounds.

Middle blocker
Personnel: Francesca Alupei, Desiree Becker, Brooklyn Briscoe, Anna Dodson

With freshman Brooklyn Briscoe yet to hit the court and junior Francesca Alupei still out because of a torn ACL from nearly a year ago, the middle blocker role casts two Bruins – graduate student Desiree Becker and redshirt senior Anna Dodson.

But the middle blocking scene has been a one-woman show – and it’ll probably stay that way.

It’s Dodson headlining the performance.

This is not to say Becker hasn’t made her mark on the program just a month after departing Northwestern. In fact, the Michigan local has already set a career-high in blocks this year, notching nine against Long Beach State. She has also carved her part as UCLA’s defensive anchor, marshaling 53 blocks this season to position herself at the helm of the squad.

But Dodson – a two-time All-Pac-12 Team honoree and U.S. Collegiate Women’s National Team player – has proven why she runs the show.

For the first time in her career, Dodson saw her face on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, a testament to her .410 average hitting percentage this season as she has exceeded the .350 mark seven times. This includes a 12-kill performance on a .600 clip against Long Beach State, where Dodson executed error-free volleyball. With six double-digit kill showings to go along with this, Dodson is further proving her role as UCLA’s attacking linchpin.

Defensive specialist/libero

Personnel: DS/L Sydney Breon, DS/L Peyton Dueck, DS/L Kat Lutz, DS/L Katie McCarthy, L Mokihana Tufono

Just under a month ago, I wrote a preseason scouting report before UCLA’s 2023 campaign commenced. And in my breakdown of the defensive specialist/libero position, I stated that the role was shrouded in uncertainty.

Fortunately for the Bruins, their nonconference opponents presented exactly the challenge needed to unveil the answer to this lingering unpredictability.

Three of the four listed defensive specialists/liberos have already embraced the court, while redshirt sophomore Katie McCarthy is waiting to make her 2023 debut. But even among the trio, the verdict emerges as a beacon. UCLA may have already honed in on its back-row defensive ace before the start of conference play.

But neither of the freshmen – Kat Lutz or Sydney Breon – have measured up to junior Peyton Dueck.

Dueck is already on the cusp of matching her 2022 dig total of 149, as she has garnered 144 digs through just 10 games of play. She commands the Bruin dig leaderboard by a margin of 81 and is averaging 3.43 digs per set this season. Showcasing her versatility on the court, Dueck locked in her maiden double-double against Pepperdine, as she paired a 22-dig performance with 12 assists. It was in this showdown that she executed two bump-set assists, racing to the service line with her back to the net to set up two Olson kills and fuel a UCLA comeback.

So as Reft tinkers with his options among setters and pin hitters, he can find solace in the stability of a set-in-stone defensive acumen.