The leaves have turned auburn and the air has begun to cool, but the Bruins are heating up Pauley Pavilion.

No. 25 UCLA women’s volleyball (11-7, 5-3 Big Ten) will host long-time conference foe Oregon (12-6, 3-5) Wednesday night before taking on Maryland (8-10, 1-7). The Bruins have not beaten the Ducks since October 2021 and will be welcoming the Terrapins to Westwood for the first time in program history.

UCLA is coming off a sweep of Iowa where they controlled the net, posting a .319 hitting percentage. It was just the fifth time this season the Bruins posted a .300-plus clip on the statsheet.

After an uncharacteristic .062 hitting percentage against the Badgers, senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette said the team let the environment get the best of them, and the players felt knocked out of their rhythm.

“We are such a skilled and talented team,” Leverette said. “When we show up and play like the players that we are, we don’t have to do anything outside of ourselves, just play like ourselves.”

Though they will be at home for the next two matches, Leverette said it’s still important to continue to stay focused on maintaining a consistent play style, regardless of what’s happening externally.

Sophomore setter Kate Duffey echoed the sentiment, saying both she and the team must keep their composure to succeed at home.

“I can really just keep it simple, and we can be really successful,” Duffey said. “Not overcomplicating anything, not overcomplicating the process and trusting my team.”

Duffey put up a career-high six service aces against the Hawkeyes and demonstrated a well-rounded performance with seven digs and 35 assists.

The Ducks’ opposite hitter Alanah Clemente leads the team, and the fresh talent tied her career-high of 23 kills against Penn State last week.

Defensively, the Ducks’ middle blocker Iva Šucurovic adds depth to the roster’s defense and is tied for third in blocks in the Big Ten with 86 this season. Šucurovic was named best middle blocker at the 2024 U23 European Championships.

Oregon boasts a hitting percentage of .263, ousting UCLA’s .228. However, Maryland ranks last in the Big Ten with a low of .190.

UCLA lies between the two teams for overall kills at 857 but leads in the total amount of digs made so far this season.

The Terrapins, though struggling generally this season, triumphed over UCLA for overall aces. Maryland’s opposite hitter Ajack Malual, who puts up an average of 4.51 points per set, could pose a threat to the Bruins.

Coach Alfee Reft said the team will be tinkering with organization of formation and passing before the game Wednesday. He added that the team will work on getting more balls to sophomore defensive specialist/libero Lola Schumacher, as her passing performance excelled in both matches last week, leading all players with 14 digs against the Hawkeyes and 13 digs against the Badgers.

“I think it’s status quo work, but we’re excited to be home and get to work on things in our gym and in our facilities. That’s huge for our athletes,” Reft said.