Passing the torch is a natural part of sports, as new leaders step up to carry the team forward.

And in 2025, it could be Cheridyn Leverette who propels the Bruins to new heights.

Amid a breakout season for the junior outside hitter, it was a conversation midway through that prompted Leverette to approach her game with a renewed focus. And it paid its dividends, culminating in All-Big Ten First-Team and AVCA All-Pacific Region honors.

“I had a conversation with my mom and she was like, ‘Are you giving your all right now?’ This is the beginning half of the season,” Leverette said. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not.’ And I just began giving my all, and that’s when I really saw a shift in what was possible and what was on the table for me.”

That discussion sparked new inspiration for the player she could become.

“I took a pretty hard pivot in terms of growth and really dreaming big and what it means to give my all,” Leverette said.

After finishing with a 14-15 record and missing the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year, coach Alfee Reft said the Bruins are already looking ahead to prepare for the new season.

While the Bruins boast offensive threats in opposite/outside hitter Grayce Olson and freshman outside hitter Kiki Horne – both of whom recorded 249 kills in 2024 – it may very well be Leverette, who notched 435 kills, to lead the charge.

“Cheridyn is one of our leaders on our team,” Reft said.“She, on top of elevating her game this year, has really grown in her voice. What I mean by that is her ability to take care of things outside of herself for the team – whether that’s on the court with how we’re competing or even leading off the court – with just how she’s existing and impacting the program.”

UCLA struggled to find its footing amid its transition to the Big Ten, finishing tied for 10th in the conference, the Bruins’ losing record marked their worst since 2018, when the team similarly finished 13-14.

The concept of “failure recovery” became a central theme in the UCLA gym this season, emphasizing the importance of overcoming all forms of setbacks. Leverette embodies this philosophy, embracing adversity as a catalyst for growth.

“The amount of challenges we’ve had this season is unthinkable, some of the stuff we had to experience is definitely something you will never experience in your lifetime,” Leverette said. “It just made us grow stronger as humans, even outside of volleyball and feel what it means to lean on someone and lean on our teammates and our coaches.”

Leverette paced the Bruins in points and kills and simultaneously tallied a 20-match double-digit kill streak – only the fifth Bruin in the 25-point rally scoring era to achieve the feat.

However, Leverette’s journey to volleyball excellence wasn’t necessarily planned.

“I was a gymnast, I swam competitively, but I kept getting taller,” Leverette said. “My mom signed me up for a random summer camp in Georgia when I was nine years old, and I credit my love for volleyball to my mom because she’s the one who introduced me to it.”

Prior to her arrival in Westwood, the Atlanta native was a standout four-year letter winner at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia. In 2021, Leverette was named an AVCA High School Second Team All-American and an Under Armour Second Team All-American.

Leverette swiftly translated her success from high school into the NCAA, starting 26 matches in 2024 and 23 in 2023, proving an asset at the net for the Bruins.

“She’s really experiencing the results of her consistent work over a long time,” Reft said. “It’s been a tremendous year for her, both on and off the court. She’s matured and grown a lot and put a lot of time into her game – not just her performance but also how she goes about her process as a top performer.”

But for Leverette, the relationships she fosters transcend her statistics on scoresheets. As a firm believer in how special relationships in volleyball are, she embodies her coach’s teaching philosophy of prioritizing trust and teamwork.

And Reft – who just completed his second season at the helm of the Bruin pack – routinely recenters his coaching philosophy to constructing and maintaining indelible relationships.

“The biggest things that I would take away are the relationships that I make through the sport,” Leverette said. “The volleyball community is just so special, and there’s nothing else like it. I just take advantage of that every day. I literally have met some of my best friends in the entire world that I’ll be friends with until I’m like a grandma.”

Graduate students setter Audrey Pak and middle blocker Anna Dodson emulate Reft’s mindset, employing it in their leadership. The former, who is also one of Leverette’s closest friends, has seen Leverette’s growth firsthand.

“On the court, she’s just going to keep getting even better, especially at the end of this season, playing six rotations for us and starting to hit big and be in the passing line,” Pak said. “She became really reliable on all fronts. And I know off the court too, she’s just going to keep carrying a heavy load for the team and just do her best to try to be the best leader for the team.”

Reft and Leverette’s teammates often recognize her for her ability to bridge the gap between newcomers and returners. She’s often the first to take lead on team-bonding activities – whether that be during training sessions or recreational team outings.

Whether she’s wearing a jersey or not, Leverette is always with her teammates — traveling together in the offseason, studying and building bonds that strengthen their chemistry on and off the court.

“She just knows the importance of it, and I feel like she’s very thoughtful, always thinking of others,” Pak said. “She’s always someone to text our teammates, check in or ask them to hang out. She plays a big role in planning that stuff too – doing fun things outside of the court that help our bond on the court.”

As preparation for the 2025 season swings into full gear, Leverette is steadfast on two things: Honing her skills on court and fortifying her relationships.

“I cannot wait to be in the gym. I cannot wait to play with my teammates again,” Leverette said. “You are just going to see a whole other elevated level of Cheridyn this season and I can’t wait to start crafting her.”