Two young volleyball players were ready to flee the cold, landlocked Midwest.
Freshmen outside hitters Jenny Mosser and Mac May hail from Lakeville, Minnesota, and Dubuque, Iowa – both cities over 1800 miles away from Los Angeles.
But they were drawn to UCLA.
“I ended up getting a letter from UCLA and I had actually never heard of the school,” Mosser said. “And then when I went and visited, it was a different feeling.”
Mosser had mostly considered Big Ten schools, but she decided that she would go out to California since it was only for four years, and she could still potentially return home. All of her siblings went away for college, so Mosser felt she could make the same transition.
In high school, the Minnesota native lettered in both track and volleyball and was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association/Under Armour First Team All-American her senior year. Throughout her four years, Mosser totaled 1661 kills and finished with an overall hitting percentage of .320.
Unlike Mosser, May had an early interest in coming to the West Coast, as she sought to play beach volleyball as well as indoor. She had first come to California during her freshman year of high school as a part of the USA beach volleyball program.
“I fell in love with California,” May said. “I considered Nebraska a lot, but I wanted to go further, and UCLA just stood out.”
She was named the 2016-2017 Iowa Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year and led the state of Iowa with 6.8 kills per set. During her high school career, May recorded more than 1700 kills and 150 aces.
When it came down to recruiting these out-of-state players, coach Michael Sealy said he got lucky in getting them to make the trip out to California. Athletes beyond the West Coast often commit early to colleges that are nearby.
And Mosser and May were two players that were heavily recruited by Big Ten powerhouses, including Purdue and Nebraska – the latter of which swept UCLA in a two-match set earlier this season.
“They’re super physical, (have a) good volleyball IQ and they were very good at a young age, so everyone knew early on that they were going to be great,” Sealy said.
After losing outside hitters Jordan Anderson and Torrey Van Winden, Sealy knew the Bruins were looking to fill crucial spots in the starting lineup with young players.
“We knew that whoever came had the potential to fill a big role right away,” Sealy said. “They would have to be thrown into the deep end and learn how to swim pretty fast.”
May and Mosser did just that.
In their first match of the season against San Diego, May tallied eight kills and three blocks and Mosser recorded four kills. May continued her strong start, posting 17 and 18 kills in the following two matches.
May was also named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week twice in the first five weeks of the year.
“It’s really awesome to be able to see myself be a player that is on that level,” May said. “I’m just working hard to stay there.”
Mosser picked up speed after facing Loyola Marymount further into the season, recording 11 kills against the Lions and double-digit kills in the next five matches. She now ranks second for the Bruins in total kills this year with 210.
“Jenny started really slow for us. She wasn’t attacking as well as she normally does, (but) she never got phased by it. ” Sealy said. “She just put in the work and let her game catch up, which is pretty rare.”
Being thrown into daily practice and the beginning of the season, the two newcomers didn’t have much time to miss their hometowns. The sense of community of the team and the guidance of the upperclassmen helped ease the transition.
Outside hitter Reily Buechler is one of only two seniors on this season’s roster, the other being setter Sarah Sponcil, who just joined the team as a transfer this season.
“They’re both very independent, strong girls. They aren’t worried about fitting in,” Buechler said. “I love having freshmen that are as mature as they are.”
[Related: Women’s volleyball transfer sets new bar for Bruin teammates]
While the lineup on the team is young, there is a large level of maturity, Sealy said.
Mosser posted a career-high 28 kills and hit .400 overall in the Bruins’ most recent victory over Colorado.
But she said there is still room for improvement.
“I still see myself as the little freshman trying not to get in the way, but that’s not necessarily what the team needs,” Mosser said. “(My goal is) being more aggressive, hitting harder and just doing my thing.”
May said she also looks to contribute more on the court, improve her defense and lower her errors.
As the season continues, the freshmen should make steady improvement and keep getting better over the next four years, Sealy said.
It could be challenging, however, with May also playing on the beach team in the spring.
“There’s going to be some pros and some cons,” Sealy said. “It can be a huge positive, but she’s going to have to be an in-season athlete for the whole year.”
Balancing beach and indoor might be difficult, but at this point, May and Mosser said they’re looking to build on the early momentum they’ve begun in their young collegiate careers.
“When we get ready in the huddle right before the game starts, I get really excited,” Mosser said. “I didn’t think this was going to happen, so it’s cool that I can make an impact right away.”