Kingdoms place the queen at the top of a royal hierarchy.

And in the sand, the Bruins sit atop the throne.

No. 1 UCLA beach volleyball (3-2) finished 3-2 after facing off against five ranked opponents – No. 6 Texas (4-2), No. 16 Hawai’i (1-4), No. 7 LMU (1-4), No. 2 Stanford (5-1) and No. 4 USC (4-2) – in the three-day Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic on Queen’s Beach in Honolulu. Needless to say, the top-ranked team faced stiff competition.

A myriad of offensive strategies propelled the Bruins to their three wins – and court one set the tone of the tournament. Displaying two-year chemistry, MPSF Player of the Year senior Maggie Boyd and sophomore Sally Perez secured a 3-1 record across the tournament.

Competing against top-tier teams is nothing new for the pair. Against ranked teams last season, Boyd tore through her competition with a 27-4 record, and Perez boasted a 26-4 record.

“We knew every game we were going to have to go out there and play everybody’s best,” Perez said. “We really had to just communicate and trust each other and trust our history as a partnership to come through and sustain us throughout the weekend.”

UCLA lost to Hawai’i and Stanford, with both matches ending in a 3-2 score. With the high winds and cloudy skies of the Aloha state, the Bruins faced external challenges. The unprecedented weather caused their matchup on Saturday against California to be canceled.

However, two Texas natives were unfazed by both the weather and their contenders

Redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper and junior Ava Williamson ended the tournament with a team-high 4-0 record. Clear communication, strategic ball placement and scrappy defense contributed to their success on the sand. Williamson – a transfer from Arizona State – had the most wins among her Sun Devil teammates last year and boasted an overall record of 23-12. She expressed gratitude for her new role with UCLA after the tournament.

“I’m loving it. I love the competitiveness,” Williamson said. “It’s really nice to be able to rely on all my teammates to push me at practice because the people I play at practice are as good as if not better than the people that I play against at tournaments.”

On Saturday, it was time for revenge.

USC won 3-2 against UCLA in last year’s tournament. At the ones court, Trojans Zoey Henson and Madison White – a 2025 AVCA All-American First Team selection – used strategy and strength to best Boyd and Perez.

However, with White’s transfer to Texas, USC had to adjust its lineups this year.

UCLA used this adjustment to its advantage, beating USC 3-1.

“I’m looking forward to watching all those matches and to get a chance to play at home in front of our friends, family and home crowd to open up the season,” said coach Jenny Johnson Jordan, who won the 2025 MPSF Coach of the Year award.

After a challenging weekend, the Bruins return to Westwood with their heads high – and a crown firmly in place.