UCLA Beach Volleyball Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll | 2026 Season
UCLA Beach Volleyball has been ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Preseason Poll, receiving 12 of 21 first-place votes, the organization announced February 17, 2026. The Bruins are poised to begin their season at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic in Hawaii on Thursday, February 19, facing No. 6 Texas.
The ranking reflects a strong returning core for UCLA, including 2025 MPSF Pair of the Year winners Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez. The duo compiled a 32-4 record last season and earned first-team All-American honors. They also secured the MPSF Pair of the Year title and in the fall of 2024, became the first Bruins to win the AVCA Pairs National Championship, according to UCLA Athletics.
UCLA returns seven starters from its 2025 squad, which finished with a 32-7 record. Alongside Boyd and Perez, Kenzie Brower, Alexa Fernandez, Kaley Mathews, Harper Cooper and Ensley Alden are back for the 2026 season. The team has also added Ava Williamson, a second-team All-American transfer from Arizona State in 2024. Freshman additions include Junior Beach All-Americans Olivia Le Blanc, Mallory LaBreche and Alina Ryan.
The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic will present an immediate challenge for the Bruins, with matchups against five teams ranked in the Top 10. Following the opening match against Texas, UCLA will face No. 7 LMU and No. 2 Stanford on Friday, February 20, and No. 9 California and No. 4 USC on Saturday, February 21.
Sally Perez also achieved individual success in the offseason, winning the FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championship with Stanford’s Avery Jackson, becoming just the second-ever American pair to win gold at the event. Perez was also named the MPSF Freshman of the Year in 2025, earning first-team AVCA All-America and All-MPSF honors, according to the MPSF.
Maggie Boyd, a senior, is a three-time first-team All-American and all-conference selection. She was named the MPSF Player of the Year in 2025 and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023. Boyd currently holds a career record of 92-17 and enters the 2026 season with a 14-match dual win streak.
The AVCA Collegiate Beach Player of the Year Watch List, announced February 16, 2026, also includes Kennedy Coakley (USC), Ella Connor (Cal Poly), and Emma Donley (California), among others. Semifinalists for the Player of the Year award will be revealed in early April, with the four finalists named shortly before the 2026 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores.