This post was updated May 3 at 12:51 p.m.

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Since beach volleyball’s inception into the NCAA in 2016, no other school has won an NCAA championship in the sport other than UCLA and USC.

But for the first time in history, neither team can claim the title, let alone compete for the chance in the final. 

After No. 4 seed LMU (38-6) took down four-peat reigning NCAA champion No. 5 seed USC (27-11) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama, No. 1 seed UCLA beach volleyball (32-7) fell to LMU in a five-set loss Saturday to conclude its 2025 season. 

While all Bruin pairs led from early on during Saturday’s match, a cut shot by senior Jessie Smith pushed the threes court to a quick 14-12 lead in the first set against the Lions  – a two-point cushion the pair wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the set, or the match.

After pushing themselves to a 20-12 lead, a deep range line swing from Smith put the Bruins on the board with their first point of the matchup. 

But while the threes court may have found quick victory against the Lions, the team found more struggle on court two, with AVCA Top Flight graduate student Peri Brennan and senior Natalie Myszkowski suffering a quicker 2-0 loss.

Scrappier play on court one forced a longer first set from the duo of MPSF Freshman of the Year Sally Perez with MPSF Player of the Year junior partner Maggie Boyd.

A late tomahawk from Boyd, followed by out-of-system defensive rallies, ultimately pushed the Bruins to their second point before the junior slammed a definitive bounce against her opponents to seal the team’s then-2-1 lead.

And despite the Lions managing to push both remaining courts to three sets after tight losses in the first sets, all the Bruins needed was one more win to send themselves to the final. 

Attention turned to courts four and five. 

But despite the urging cheers of their fellow teammates to complete “one last push,” both courts fell in identical losses – narrow, back-and-forth 15-12 deficits. .

The loss marked the fourth time this season the two teams pushed five sets against each other – with LMU nailing the final coffin on the team’s 2-2 record over UCLA.

While the Lions will wait for the results of Saturday’s second semifinal match – the winner of No. 2 seed TCU and No. 6 seed Cal Poly – no matter what, Sunday’s championship match will feature two teams that have never competed on the collegiate sport’s biggest stage. 

And the Bruins return to Westwood trophy-less.