The Bruins are coming out of hibernation for their first-ever postseason tournament in their new conference.

Three weeks after its final regular season meet, UCLA women’s golf will tee off at the Big Ten championship at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on Friday morning. After completing their inaugural season in the Big Ten, the Bruins will have the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA tournament if successful at the conference championship.

UCLA has the opportunity to capitalize on its success at the PING/ASU Invitational last month, which followed a tough loss against longtime rival USC in the Battle for the Bell and a bottom-quarter placement in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

Freshman Angela Liu and senior Natalie Vo – both of whom will be starters for the weekend tournament – led the charge at the PING/ASU Invitational, placing 11th and 12th, respectively.

“I’m really excited to play a Big Ten (championship) and see what we can do as a team,” Vo said. “Playing well at ASU was definitely a confidence boost for me.”

Bulle Rock will host the Big Ten Championship for a second straight season, presenting the challenge of a new course to UCLA – a newcomer in the conference. UCLA will be joined by former Pac-12 teams No. 5 Oregon, No. 7 USC and Washington as it plays at the Maryland course for the first time during its practice round Thursday morning.

“We only get one look at the course prior to teeing it up for competition,” said coach Alicia Um Holmes. “I’m going to advise the team to take it all in, try to really learn the course as much as they can.”

Vo will be the first of the Bruins to tee off Friday. Holmes will be joined by assistant coach Erynne Yoo in walking through the course to relay notes about it.

Despite having traveled some 2,600 miles to Havre de Grace, Maryland, the Bruins will play under similar conditions that the West Coast provides. Though the first tee times are at 5:30 a.m. PST, and lows are expected to be in the high 50s, the average temperature is predicted to be between the high 60s and mid-70s, providing UCLA with some familiarity even on the other side of the country.

Though it is its first Big Ten championship, UCLA is no stranger to playoff competition. During the Bruins’ storied career in the Pac-12, the program has secured eight conference championship victories. Despite placing fourth in the conference championship last year, the team went on to the NCAA championship, in which it was the runner-up to Stanford.

If the Bruins hope to have another shot at the NCAA championship at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, they will have to continue their success from the PING/ASU Invitational. Only the top 30 teams in the country will qualify for the tournament, and with five top-25 teams to compete against, UCLA will have to step up to continue its season.

“If we play how we have been playing and just have some belief in our own selves, … we should be able to play well,” Vo said.