This post was updated Sept. 25 at 12:39 p.m.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen didn’t capture an NBA championship until their third season together, struggling to defeat Eastern Conference juggernauts in the “Big Three” Boston Celtics and the “Bad Boy” Pistons that dominated the 1980s.

But despite the duo’s initial struggles, Jordan and Pippen hoisted six championship trophies throughout the 1990s.

Building chemistry is not achieved overnight and demands patience.

And although UCLA women’s volleyball (6-4) lost three out of their first four matches to kickstart the 2025 campaign, the novel squad – filled with 10 new transfers and recruits – is seemingly discovering a collective identity to spearhead success.

The Bruins participated in the Stanford Tournament at Maples Pavilion, defeating Texas State (5-6) on Friday and Hawaiʻi (4-7) on Saturday to open the tournament – dropping just one set across its first two contests. UCLA subsequently fell to No. 4 Stanford (9-2) on Sunday in four sets to end its nonconference slate.

“There’s been a lot of lessons learned with this newer group and yet they’ve matured pretty quickly,” said coach Alfee Reft. “The team is climbing and finding its identity.”

And UCLA could continue to improve, especially with the return of a valuable middle weapon.

Graduate student middle blocker Phekran Kong made her first start as a Bruin against Hawaiʻi, where she recorded 12 kills on a .450 hitting percentage to help lead the squad to an efficient .301 team clip.

But Kong does not just make a difference with her hitting and blocking prowess – having posted 111 kills and 97 blocks at Louisville in 2024 – but she also boasts the experience and leadership that the Bruins seemingly lacked at the start of the 2025 season.

“She’s a consummate professional,” Reft said. “Her maturity and leadership goes so far beyond just the points she scores for us, but how she leads our team through challenging moments is a really big thing. She’s been on all stages and played under lots of bright lights.”

The middle blocker’s tutelage may be contributing to development of younger pieces on the roster, and the former Louisville athlete said she hopes to foster a championship mentality at UCLA.

Freshman outside hitter Eliana Urzua took up the mantle in UCLA’s triumph against Texas State, boasting a career-high 20 kills, which was good for her first .400-plus clip of her collegiate career.

On the defensive end, sophomore defensive specialist/libero Lola Schumacher returned from her three-game absence due to injury and sported a team-leading 17 digs to help quell the Bobcat’s attack.

“I feel I’m able to bring my teammates the type of mentality and work ethic that it takes to make it that far,” Kong said. “UCLA is a place where we breed champions, and if we want to be champions, we got to put in a lot of work.”

But offensive struggles plagued UCLA in its loss to Stanford – the squad committed 23 attacking errors, recording 11 in the first set alone.

And the Bruins’ defense didn’t compensate for the attacking arsenal’s inefficient performance, especially on the backend, since they posted 35 digs – the second-lowest of the season – along with a season-high nine reception errors.

Although the team snapped the Cardinal’s 14-set winning streak with a second-set victory, Reft said the loss exposed a lot of areas where the Bruins must improve.

“We have some serious things to upgrade,” Reft said. “That’s what happens when you play a team like Stanford, and it’s a great barometer for us to see the areas that we need to shore up.”

The Bruins begin their conference campaign this week, facing Ohio State on Sept. 26 and Penn State – the reigning national champions – on Sept. 28.

UCLA will likely battle staunch opposition in the Big Ten, especially since two conference programs – with Wisconsin’s 2021 championship bid and Penn State’s recent title glory – have hoisted the championship trophy across the past four seasons.

Yet the Bruins seem poised to embrace the challenge rather than quiver in its presence.

“We’re going to take the lessons from our preseason and kick them into Big Ten (play),” Reft said. “These lessons are worth it, and we’re ready to utilize the lessons learned against two good teams.”

Although UCLA may pale in comparison to the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty, it appears they are continuing to build.

But even Jordan and Pippen had to start somewhere, and a strong finish to the Bruins’ nonconference slate – where they won five out of their last six contests – may spark the program’s rejuvenation and return to postseason play.

“We now feel a sense of direction of where we’re going,” Urzua said. “It feels very together and united as a team.”