The news came in Monday, five days before UCLA was scheduled to play its last regular season meet at the Aloha Invitational in Waikiki, Hawaii.
It turned out that would be the Bruins’ last meet of the season.
After suffering 3-2 upset losses against No. 10 Arizona and Arizona State on Saturday at the Pac-12 Invitational, No. 8 UCLA (9-4) fell out of favor with the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Championship Selection Committee and didn’t make the eight-team field of the postseason tournament.
“It’s one thing to not win, but it’s another thing to not win because you didn’t play well,” said coach Stein Metzger. “We’re all looking forward to a couple of good days of practice to get back on the horse and get back out there and prove ourselves.”
UCLA will still have a presence in the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship, however, as the team’s No. 1 doubles pair of senior Zoë Nightingale and junior Kamila Tan will compete in the pairs tournament.
As for the matchups this weekend against St. Mary’s College (4-14), No. 6 Long Beach State (13-4) and No. 2 Hawai’i (15-1), the results of the competition will not have any added significance to the team’s immediate future, but UCLA’s season closer will mark the end of a five-year career for Madie Smith, during which she played for both the UCLA women’s indoor volleyball team and sand volleyball team.
“I’m looking forward to go all out because I’m never going to be able to play again,” Smith said. “I have a feeling that the team is on the same page. We have such a great team. We’ve grown so much from last year that we just want to finish really strong to prepare for next season.”
For the team’s returners for the next season, the matchups will be a final fight for bragging rights before the team begins preparations for next season.
“We’ve really been on an upswing in terms of our ability to compete and be able to close tight games,” Metzger said. “I think we still have the confidence we can do that, so we’re just looking for another opportunity.”
This weekend will present the Bruins’ third matchup against the Gaels and 49ers. There will be a contrasting feel for both rematches, however. UCLA will be looking to prolong a two-game win streak against St. Mary’s, but will also be looking to fight out of a losing streak against Long Beach State. Hawai’i on the other hand will be a fresh matchup and challenge for UCLA, as the No. 2 team in the country has only lost once this season – in a 5-0 trouncing by the No. 1 team in the country, USC.
The teams that the Bruins are looking to defeat for the first time this year – the 49ers and Rainbows – are both participants in nationals. A win over these teams will not help the Bruins usurp a spot in the postseason, but the team said it believes it’ll help them end the season with a statement.
“If we can take some games off them, that will be huge for our ranking and huge for us to prove we can still hang and we’re still a good team,” Tan said. “Next year, we’re going to come back fighting. I’m excited to see what this team can accomplish.”