Capturing a team win after a nearly year-long drought can be a massive confidence booster for a squad.

But remaining focused and building on the momentum from a previous outing is a challenge that truly tests a team’s resolve.

Following a win in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge on Feb. 3, No. 11 UCLA women’s golf will head back to the sunny Coachella Valley for the Alice and John Wallace Classic at Monterey Country Club. The Bruins will tee off Saturday and face 15 squads over three days of competition.

Playing golf in the desert has become increasingly familiar for the Bruins, who will be participating in their second tournament in a month in the Coachella Valley. UCLA lost the Battle of LA against No. 2 USC at Rancho La Quinta Country Club – a mere 10 miles away from this weekend’s course – Jan. 23.

Despite regional familiarity, the practice round will be the first time coach Alicia Um Holmes’ team will experience the Monterey Country Club course.

“It’s a lot of unknowns,” Um Holmes said. “We’re really going to have to look at the yardage book that we have and formulate the best game plan that we can make heading in blind.”

Despite the uncertainty awaiting the Bruins in the desert, Um Holmes said that her team embraces the challenge of the unknown, adding that multiple players from last week’s Therese Hession Regional Challenge delivered top-15 finishes, despite having never seen the course beforehand.

Among those who contributed to the Palos Verdes win was sophomore Jenny Lee, who finished second in the individual competition after matching her career low 54-hole score of 5-under 208. Notching her first individual win with UCLA at the Windy City Collegiate Classic in September, Lee fell to Texas’ Farah O’Keefe in an individual playoff.

“We won a really strong tournament with a really strong field, and I think it’s a great start,” Lee said. “I hope we can also win the next tournament, although it is a different course.”

Freshman Kacey Ly also had a hand in the win, recording UCLA’s lowest single-day scorecard of the tournament, shooting 4-under 67 on the competition’s third day. Ly’s performance propelled her into fourth place on the individual leaderboard.

“Going into next week, we just have to keep doing what we’re doing,” Ly said. “Practicing and playing well during qualifying while gaining more experience on the course to learn who I am as a player overall.”

Ly said her performance last week helped her develop a positive mindset for the upcoming tournament, with her ability to compete against a deep complement of golfers in Palos Verdes boosting her confidence.

When the Bruins tee off at Monterey Country Club on Saturday, another competitive field awaits them, including USC. The Trojans bested the Bruins in the Battle of LA by a matchplay score of 3.5-1.5.

But Um Holmes said her squad will not let uncertainty and the past affect their performance this weekend.

“Going into this next event, the fact that there are so many unknowns, it might work well in our favor,” Um Holmes said.