Citizens look to their government for basic necessities.

Devout worshipers use religion as a source of hope.

Patients listen to doctors for medical solutions.

For the Bruins, winning a national title would be their saving grace.

No. 3 seed UCLA beach volleyball (30-6) will face No. 14 seed Tulane (26-13, 1-5 CUSA) on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The quarterfinals and semifinals are both scheduled for Saturday, with the final slated for Sunday.

UCLA will commence its national title campaign after securing wins over LSU, California and Stanford in the MPSF tournament from April 22-24. However, the Bruins lost to Texas 3-1 and 3-2 across two separate matches, including the MPSF Championship.

Despite the losses, coach Jenny Johnson Jordan said she sees the moment as preparation for the ultimate goal.

“At the end of the day, this is a great preparatory tournament,” Jordan said. “And the team feels a lot more confident moving onto Gulf Shores.”

Heading into the squad’s final tournament of the season, UCLA will start off the NCAA tournament against the third-lowest-seeded team in the bracket.

Tulane, despite boasting one of the worst records in the tournament, went undefeated in the CUSA Beach Volleyball Championship, sweeping the top team in its conference – Florida Atlantic – twice.

Molly Trodd and Skylar Ensign lead the squad with a team-high 29-8 overall record from Tulane’s court two spot, and the pair has gone 8-2 across their previous 10 matchups. Trodd earned a Second Team All-Conference USA selection, and Ensign was named a First Team All-Conference USA selection last season.

The decorated pair will face redshirt junior Ensley Alden and redshirt sophomore Kaley Mathews.

The UCLA duo boasts a 22-6 overall record, second only to senior Maggie Boyd and sophomore Sally Perez, the Bruins’ court one pairing. Alden and Mathews won in straight sets against Texas in their most recent matchup, defeating Anna Pavelkova and Kacka Pavelkova.

But regardless of the duo’s performance, support is the most impactful contribution they can give.

“No matter what happens on our court, win or lose, we’re immediately going to support our teammates,” Alden said. “The duel isn’t over until the last whistle blows. That’s the best energy that we can give to each other.”

UCLA experimented with different pairings – with the exception of the squad’s top two courts – throughout the regular season.

The Bruins’ court three spot has seen nine separate pairings, with redshirt sophomore Harper Cooper and sophomore Alexa Fernandez leading the way with a 17-4 record.

And the squad’s lineups are also attributed to assistant coaches Kelly Reeves and Theo Brunner.

“It’s different for different reasons,” Jordan said. “Sometimes it can be based on how the coaches know the other team a little bit better. Sometimes during the week, a coach will have a great vibe with a pairing, and it also depends on the matchups, too.”

If UCLA advances to the tournament’s second round, the squad is set to compete against the winner of No. 6 seed Cal Poly and No. 11 seed Grand Canyon.

UCLA went undefeated against both teams this season, defeating Cal Poly three times and Grand Canyon once.

“We can win in the big moments,” Cooper said. “It takes a lot for other teams to beat us in big moments. We’re walking out here with our heads held high.”