No. 3 seed UCLA beach volleyball (30-6) starts NCAA tournament play Friday, when the squad faces No. 14 seed Tulane (26-13, 1-5 C-USA). Coach Jenny Johnson Jordan’s team is coming off an MPSF tournament outing where it fell in the semifinal round to Texas 3-2. The team lost to then-No. 4 LMU in the national competition last year. The Bruins have yet to capture a national championship since former head coach Stein Metzger spearheaded their title run in 2019, the second in program history. Assistant Sports editor Grant Walters and staff writer Chloe Agas predict how the team will perform at the 10th NCAA beach volleyball tournament.

Grant Walters

Assistant Sports editor

Prediction: Semifinal loss to Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas.

So, by default, beach volleyball is as well, which may be surprising since the state’s sole beaches are relegated to its southeast corner.

But a lack of natural sand will not stop the Lone Star squad from defeating the Bruins, yet again.

UCLA beach volleyball fell to No. 2 seed Texas twice in the MPSF tournament. One of those losses was in the championship match, where the Bruins held a 2-1 lead before collapsing on the remaining three courts to lose 3-2.

The Longhorns came up big in the biggest moment.

UCLA has dropped three straight games to Texas, losing by two points or fewer in each affair. The Bruins’ Longhorn struggles came after they swept their SEC foe in two affairs to open the 2026 campaign.

Yet, the UCLA-Texas matchup trajectory has been solidified, especially in tightly-contested games, since UCLA has yet to overcome Texas in crucial dual matches.

It won’t change overnight.

And it won’t change Saturday, which is when the Bruins will face the Longhorns if they get past the first two rounds.

Although UCLA will best Tulane and No. 6 Cal Poly, a team UCLA defeated three times across three contests in the regular season, the road to its first national championship since 2019 will end in the semifinal, just as LMU closed the door on the Westwood squad last year.

After all, everything isn’t bigger in California, and the Bruins’ inability to rise in the biggest moment during the regular season preludes their inevitable fate.

Chloe Agas
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Semifinal loss to Texas

I recently rewatched season three of “Haikyu!”

The plot centers on the Karasuno High School volleyball team as they are up against the best team in the Miyagi prefecture, Shiratorizawa. Shiratorizawa hasn’t been defeated in a number of years, and the squad even features one of Japan’s top five outside hitters in volleyball, Ushijima Wakatoshi.

But Karasuno, presented as the underdog, beat Shiratorizawa and qualified for the national tournament for the first time in years.

This narrative shows that being the best doesn’t make you unbeatable – you can beat the best.

The fictional plot will become a reality when No. 3 seed UCLA beach volleyball falls from the summit after missing the opportunity to hoist an MPSF trophy.

The Bruins haven’t captured a national title in six years and have yet to return to the top.

But maybe I am feeling hopeful this time around – maybe a little too hopeful.

They can’t afford cracks in their foundation.

The road to a potential third national title is anything but easy – that is if they even make it that far.

UCLA faces off against Tulane in the first round, followed by a potential quarterfinal against Cal Poly – which it has narrowly bested this season, with the last two matchups ending in 3-2 outcomes.

But with a semifinal match against No. 2 seed Texas – which contributed to half of UCLA’s losses this season – looming, the Bruins’ national championship hopes may come up short.