This post was updated Oct. 9 at 12:24 a.m. 

Fall on the East Coast tells a different story than on the West.

The air becomes chillier, leaves change to brown and yellow, the sun sets later in the day, and most importantly, volleyball season gets underway.

UCLA women’s volleyball (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) will contest Maryland (11-4, 1-3) on Friday at XFINITY Center in College Park and then match up against Rutgers (10-6, 1-3) on Saturday at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway.

Maryland and Rutgers hold steady records at home, logging tallies of 6-1 and 4-1, respectively. UCLA maintains an away record of 6-3, but a quick flight to New Jersey right after Friday’s matchup will test the squad’s resilience.

“Any sort of sweep in the Big Ten is something that you’d be proud of,” said coach Matt Werle. “I’m most proud of how we bounced back yesterday. There was a team yesterday that I didn’t even recognize, but I still think there’s a lot of things that we need to address.”

The Bruins are fresh off a sweep against Michigan, where they executed a near-perfect serve game with a .938 percentage. The squad maintained offensive rhythm with 47 kills on a .258 clip, dusting off the Wolverines in under two hours.

That home win could spur momentum for UCLA as the squad travels to the East Coast.

Maryland lost Saturday in straight sets against the top championship contender – No. 1 Nebraska. The Terrapins’ hitting performance was inconsistent throughout all three sets, finishing with 14 errors and a .117 percentage.

Maryland’s top hitters include fresh and tenured talent in Ava Brown and Sydney Bryant, respectively. The two have logged a combined 243 kills on the season – nearly 40% of the squad’s total of 619 kills.

Setting the tone for the team’s offensive rhythm is Sara Toth, a transfer from Georgia Tech. She has logged 523 assists on the season, notably higher than UCLA’s setter Kate Duffey, who has recorded 376. The Bruins have alternated between juniors Duffey and Ava Sarafa in the starting lineup this season.

“We talk a lot about playing the long rally, being comfortable in the uncomfortable,” Duffey said. “We’re getting more comfortable in longer rallies. When we study or we watch the film back, we see how many opportunities we have to put the ball away.”

Rutgers enters the contest after falling in four sets to a ranked Big Ten opponent – No. 15 Indiana. Rutgers’ starting setter, Brooke Baldwin, logged 26 assists, while libero/defensive specialist Kenzie Dyrstad held down the backcourt with a game-high 16 digs.

The Scarlet Knights maintain a strong serve game, averaging 1.98 aces per set compared to the Bruins’ 1.28 mark. However, their attacking errors outnumber the Bruins, logging 313 and 272 errors, respectively.

Even with a consistent record in their back pocket, the Bruins will face the test of back-to-back away matchups.

“We’ve done well in tight moments,” said fifth-year middle blocker Marianna Singletary. “We don’t get stressed when we don’t side out first. We have great defense behind us.”