Roster reset: UCLA women’s volleyball set up for promising season with new players

This post was updated Sept. 1 at 12:07 a.m.

No. 18 UCLA women’s volleyball is just three days away from its first game of the 2025 season. After closing out the 2024 campaign by falling short of the NCAA tournament for a third straight season, coach Alfee Reft’s squad enters this season with new expectations. Prior to first serve, Daily Bruin Sports previews how the roster shifted heading into the 2025 campaign.

2024 record: (14-15, 8-12 Big Ten)
Coach: Alfee Reft

Outgoing players

Eleven players departed Westwood, including two front-line veterans in middle blocker Anna Dodson and setter Audrey Pak, after UCLA concluded its season against then-No. 13 Oregon.

Dodson ended her four-year collegiate career at UCLA ranked No. 10 in program history in blocks, tallying 441 total blocks, 367 block assists and 961 kills. During the 2024 season, Dodson garnered 18 solo blocks and reached a grand total of 105 across just 27 matches. After her Bruin career, Dodson signed a professional contract with Cuneo Granda Volley of the Serie A1 in Italy.

Pak has also made her way onto the professional stage, signing with Columbus Fury of Major League Volleyball on Aug. 14. The Moraga, California, local was a steady hand for the Bruins’ offensive arsenal, finishing her UCLA career with 2,210 assists across 74 matches.

In 2024, Pak started 27 matches and ranked third in conference play with 768 assists – averaging 10.67 per set. The playmaker also made an impact defensively, adding 53 blocks and 220 digs last season.

The squad also saw departures from middle hitter Leilani Dodson, liberos Kate Reilly and Peyton Dueck and outside hitter Joy Umeh. The Bruins also lost then-junior outside hitter/opposite Grayce Olson, who announced her medical retirement via Instagram on March 11.

Additionally, two Bruins hit the transfer portal, including setter Ashley Mullen, who committed to NC State after missing last season due to injury, and middle blocker Zoë Humphrey, who departed to Tennessee after redshirting her freshman season.

With the exit of key players across the front and back lines of the court, the Bruins’ incoming class has big gaps to fill.

 

The transfers

Out of the 18 players on the 2025 roster, 10 are new additions to Reft’s squad.

Half of those new additions are transfers.

Graduate student setter Zayna Meyer, a transfer from Long Beach State, will replace Pak as the team’s facilitator. Meyer started in all 28 matches as a sophomore and earned 2023 Big West Setter of the Year as a junior.

Meyer also became the sixth player in program history to reach 3,000 assists during her final season. Meyer fills a necessary hole in the Bruins’ front line, as Reft looks to replace Pak.

To fill a Dodson-sized hole, Reft recruited two middle blockers – graduate student Phekran Kong from Louisville and redshirt junior Marianna Singletary from Texas.

Kong brings defensive experience from the biggest stage in collegiate volleyball to Reft’s unit. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, local competed in two Final Fours and two NCAA championship title matches. As a Cardinal, Kong racked up 320 blocks and 417 kills.

Singletary also brings postseason experience, having competed in the Final Four for the Longhorns in 2023. In her two seasons at Texas, Singletary tallied 212 kills and 151 blocks.

To round out the transfer class, Reft brought in sophomore libero Lola Schumacher from Wisconsin and junior outside hitter Maggie Li from California.

Schumacher will bolster the depth of the Bruins’ back row. She played in 30 matches during her first season of collegiate volleyball, averaging 3.64 digs per set for the Badgers.

Li started in all 31 matches and tallied 441 kills in 2023, the third-most in the Pac-12 conference at the time. Last season, Li averaged four kills per set and tallied 463 total kills in 32 matches. Li’s proficiency at the pin should provide the Bruins with necessary firepower.

The freshmen

Amid the veterans of the team, five freshmen await their first taste of collegiate action.

The Bruins’ No. 12-ranked 2025 recruiting class includes middle blocker Hazel Alevok, right-side hitter Mija Bendziute, outside hitter Eliana Urzua and defensive specialists Sakura Codling and Lauren Cortina.

Alevok brings experience from the national stage, competing with the USA U19 National Team which won the gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Championship. A nominee for her hometown’s Player of the Year award, Bendziute earned All-American honors in 2023 and 2024.

Making an impact on the sand and court, Urzua brings indoor and outdoor experience with a national title in beach volleyball and high school MVP awards and league titles to the hardwood.

Codling is a two-time First Team All-State and All-League selection, as well as the District 16 Player of the Year. The Cincinnati, Ohio, local accumulated 1,500 digs in her high school career. Cortina also received All-Conference honors, adding defensive prowess to an experienced defensive backline.

With fresh faces and experienced talent, the Bruins could turn the page on the past and make some noise this season.