A house is only as strong as its foundation.

Brick by brick, tile by tile, all components must fit perfectly in place.

Similarly, the Bruins rely on their players to execute a pristine strategy.

No. 2 UCLA beach volleyball (21-4) will face No. 9 California (18-7), No. 6 Cal Poly (21-5) and No. 13 Arizona State (16-9) at the Center of Effort Challenge in San Luis Obispo, California, on Friday and Saturday.

“One thing that we’re hyperfocused on is our goals,” said redshirt sophomore Taylor Ford. “We make our goals super clear, and we drill them in every day. Our goal is to win the national championship.”

UCLA enters the tournament looking to improve ahead of the MPSF tournament later this month, coach Jenny Johnson Jordan said.

The Bruins went 3-1 last weekend at the Best in the West competition, defeating Cal Poly, USC and Long Beach State, but falling to Stanford. UCLA had previously defeated Stanford 4-1 on March 7 at home.

UCLA has yet to play Cal this season. Their first scheduled matchup Feb. 20 was canceled because of poor weather conditions in Honolulu. The Bruins are historically undefeated against the Golden Bears, with a 19-0 record.

“This part of the season is where everything, everyone, heats up, and we know that we need to also heat up, because everyone else is gunning for us,” said redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper. “We just think of it as whoever’s across the net from us. They’re just jerseys. We don’t try to read too much or think too deeply into who is across the net.”

The Golden Bears enter the weekend on a six-match winning streak, with two dual victories against UC Davis and San Jose State. Portia Sherman and Emma Donley lead Cal on court one, and the duo boasts the most wins on the team. Sherman, a 2025 First Team All-MPSF selection, also brings international experience, having competed for Team USA at the Junior Pan-American Games and the NORCECA Beach U23 Continental Tour.

Cal Poly will face UCLA again after losing to the Bruins last weekend. The Mustangs have sustained four of their five losses to the Bruins and the Trojans this season.

The Mustangs have been creatures of habit this season, as they rarely alternate up pairs. 12 players on its 28-player roster have yet to play a match. Their court one spot switches off between pair Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep and duo Logan Walter and Izzy Martinez, who hold 23-3 and 23-2 records, respectively.

UCLA’s lowest ranked opponent in the tournament, Arizona State, will attempt to redeem itself after the former swept the latter March 13. Arizona State is riding wins against Ottawa University, FIU and Stetson this past weekend at the Sparky Invitational.

“We prepare for these types of tournaments,” Jordan said. “By now, all of us have played each other multiple times, and we know their tendencies. All those are variables that dictate how the game is played and who it is more in favor of.”