The Bruins have had a penchant for keeping things short and sweet recently.

But conference play has a long-storied tradition of holding a lengthy and, at times, bitter road.

On the heels of six consecutive victories – five of which came well before the seventh inning – No. 5 UCLA softball (24-4) will get a shot at nine straight wins when Big Ten foe Purdue (15-9) comes to Easton Stadium for a three-game series that starts Friday and ends Sunday afternoon.

The two last met in 2015 – a 9-3 win for the Bruins in the So Cal Collegiate Classic – but the Boilermakers haven’t stepped into the Easton Stadium batters’ box since 2009, when they walked away with a 2-1 victory.

While UCLA is a rookie in the Big Ten, Purdue outfielder Moriah Polar is in her second season of setting strides. Racking up 46 starts and an All-Big Ten Defensive Team recognition in her freshman campaign, the sophomore paced competitors in catches and putouts – making just two errors to finish with a .985 fielding percentage.

While Polar slashed .288/.390/.452 last season, her numbers are up across the board this year, slashing .609/.667/.717. Her batting average ranks fourth in the nation, while her on-base percentage ranks sixth.

But UCLA, time and again, has proven its ability to play both sides of the field. Despite playing in 15 run-rule shortened contests this season, the Bruins still place fifth in the country in home runs and sixth in hits.

“We’ve come out swinging,” said graduate student outfielder Jessica Clements. “We’ve been challenging ourselves to try to put up as many runs as possible and to get it done on defense, too. And we really had each other’s backs – and if it’s not me, then it’s the next person behind me and vice versa for everyone else.”

Clements – in her first season with UCLA after a four-year career at Cal Poly – leads the Bruins in runs scored and sits third in batting average behind senior utility Savannah Pola and freshman outfielder Rylee Slimp.

Pola hasn’t settled for finding that the third time’s the charm – instead, the senior has recorded four three-hit games this season, with her most recent coming in a 3-for-3 performance against San Diego on Tuesday.

And when it comes to taking care of the ball, the Bruins are No. 1 in fielding percentage.

With the start of conference play arriving Friday, Bruin batters have said they’re ready for the challenge.

“Always adjustments to be made. Even when we were talking in there, we’re always talking about what we need to do better after every single game – so we have that in mind,” said junior utility Megan Grant. “They’re wanting to beat us, so we’re going to go and be ourselves, be aggressive.”

The Bruins notoriously sit on a tradition of excellence – incubating players through the ages in what coach Kelly Inouye-Perez affectionately refers to as the “Bruin bubble.”

Friday’s matchup will pay tribute to one generational player in particular, as former third baseman Janice Parks’ No. 14 jersey is honored in a retirement ceremony. Not only did Parks take home two NCAA championship titles, but the 1989 Honda Sport Award winner – given to leading female athletes in chosen collegiate sports – also shared Easton Stadium’s diamond with Inouye-Perez that season.

“I’ve been able to see what an outstanding, impactful player she’s been. But to now have her go down in the record books is one of the greatest that has ever played … it’s something that she’s earned,” Inouye-Perez said. “Being able to recognize one of our greats is going to be a special day for all of the UCLA softball family.”