This post was updated February 26 at 12:10 a.m.

Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said she intentionally builds a tough nonconference schedule to test her team.

And the Bruins have continued to pass these tests, beating seven of the eight top-25 opponents they have faced this season.

Adding five more victories against ranked teams to its record, No. 4 UCLA softball (14-2) defeated No. 22 Missouri (8-8) by a score of 4-1 and No. 15 Nebraska (12-4) in a 9-1 run-rule victory Thursday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California.

The squad carried the momentum into its next three games, taking down No. 7 Tennessee (13-3) on Friday by a score of 4-3 and then defeating Baylor (7-8) by a 6-2 decision and No. 10 Arkansas (14-1) by 9-1 for UCLA’s second run-rule victory of the tournament. However, UCLA lost 1-0 to No. 14 Duke (13-3) on Sunday in the final contest of the tournament, ending the Bruins’ undefeated streak against top-25 opponents.

“I chose a schedule that was a tough one,” Inouye-Perez said. “The training has allowed them to prepare for these big moments, and what we’re seeing is the game paying them back.”

UCLA’s defense allowed just nine runs across the weekend. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kaitlyn Terry threw a career-high 14 strikeouts against Missouri while holding the Tigers to just one run for the entire game. The Glendale, Arizona, local recorded 24 total strikeouts and only allowed two runs through 16 innings in the circle during the tournament.

Back-to-back home runs from graduate student second baseman Seneca Curo and freshman shortstop Aleena Garcia in the sixth inning sealed UCLA’s first victory of the tournament. Later that day, Garcia – who ranked third in the nation for assists with 33 before the tournament – went 2-for-3 for the second consecutive game, hitting a double and triple against Nebraska.

“The competition here is one of a kind,” Garcia said. “As a team, we know we can beat anybody that we’re playing against.”

Garcia’s triple was the catalyst for a five-run rally in the sixth inning, where freshman outfielder Rylee Slimp, senior utility Savannah Pola and junior first baseman Jordan Woolery brought home the final four runs of the game.

A sacrifice fly from Cornhusker infielder/outfielder Samantha Bland in the third inning gave them their sole run against junior pitcher Taylor Tinsley. The All-Pac-12 First-Team selection – who threw 16 strikeouts across 14 innings this weekend – said her teammates’ offensive dominance helps her feel confident in the circle.

“Knowing that they’re going to have my back when I’m on the mound, and they’re going to produce runs for me and find a way to get some runs on the board, alleviates a little bit of pressure on the mound,” Tinsley said.

Friday’s affair was UCLA’s toughest test yet, as it played Tennessee – the highest-ranked opponent the Bruins have faced this season.

Down by three in the first inning, the Bruins struggled to get on the scoreboard. That was until Woolery – who totaled eight RBIs and two home runs across the weekend – stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning. The 2023 Third-Team All-American was 0-for-2 against the Lady Volunteers before blasting a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead.

Woolery’s second homer of the tournament came against Arkansas – the Bruins’ second top-10 opponent of the season. A walk-off single from freshman third baseman Kaniya Bragg gave UCLA its seventh consecutive win against a top-25 team and a run-rule victory.

Against the Razorbacks, Terry threw six strikeouts across six innings in the circle. The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year also contributed to the Bruins’ offensive efforts, as she finished 1-for-2 at the plate and recorded two of UCLA’s nine runs.

Despite typically being seen in the circle for the Bruins, Terry started in right field against Baylor.

“She’s very capable of being an everyday starter as a hitter and in the outfield as well,” Inouye-Perez said. “She can hit, she can run, she can play the outfield without skipping a beat.”

Although Terry went 0-for-3 against the Bears, Pola’s second homer of the season gave the Bruins a two-run lead in the third inning. Freshman catcher/utility Maggie Daniel hit her career-first home run, and Bragg launched a two-run double, while Slimp went 3-for-3 at the plate.

But UCLA’s bats went cold against Duke.

Tinsley battled Duke pitcher Cassidy Curd, as neither team was able to dent the scoreboard for the first six innings. Then, an RBI single sent utility – and former UCLA third baseman – Thessa Malau’ulu running home to win the game.