The Bruins have high expectations despite many new faces, according to coach Cori Close.
UCLA women’s basketball was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll released Tuesday, the same day Close spoke to the media at Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Media Day in San Francisco.

In one of their first official practices of the year, the Bruins had an abrupt end.
With about 20 minutes left at Pauley Pavilion, coach Cori Close called practice early after prematurely stopping a fast break drill.

With the 2021-2022 season for UCLA Athletics beginning this month, the Daily Bruin Sports staff takes a look at the expectations for all 21 varsity teams, discussing the best- and worst-case scenarios for each club along with one key storyline surrounding each roster.

Ever since it won the NCAA’s first softball championship back in 1982, no program has ever had more titles to its name than UCLA.
But after UCLA softball’s Women’s College World Series exit earlier this month marked the end of an adversity-filled two-year quest to defend its latest national championship, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez emphasized that the “Bruin bubble” is about far more than just victories on the field.

Female Athlete of the Year: Rachel Garcia
Coral Smith, Daily Bruin senior staff
After her phenomenal 2019 season, one might have thought we had witnessed the greatest year of Rachel Garcia’s UCLA career.

No. 2 seed UCLA softball (46-5, 19-2 Pac-12) will begin its sixth-straight Women’s College World Series appearance with a matchup against No. 10 seed Florida State (55-10, 19-5 ACC) on Thursday night.

This post was updated May 28 at 9:53 p.m.
The Bruins relied on their All-Pac-12 talent to keep their season alive.
One loss away from elimination, No.

With an NCAA-record 29 Women’s College World Series appearances, the Bruins are familiar with having an edge over their opponents when it comes to postseason experience.

This post was updated May 16 at 11:48 p.m.
The Bruins entered their final regular-season series needing two wins to clinch a conference championship.
They claimed the title with two games to spare.

The first-place Bruins have one last chance to defend their near-perfect record at home.
No. 2 UCLA softball (34-3, 13-2 Pac-12) will play its final regular-season series at Easton Stadium with a four-game set against Stanford (29-14, 8-7) beginning Friday.