UCLA women’s volleyball has been in the middle of the pack the last three seasons.
Not great. Not bad. Just OK.
But this year, third-year head coach Alfee Reft finally has a roster of his own, one that could redefine this narrative. To kickstart that change, Reft hit the transfer portal to fill position holes, enlisting five new Bruins – three of whom bring postseason experience.
“I want to get this team to the tournament this year,” Reft said. “I want to see us finally get UCLA back to a place where it’s belonged, and I think we have the pieces to do that this year.”
Reft’s first new piece comes in Second Team All-Big West honoree Zayna Meyer. The graduate student setter orchestrated a Long Beach State offense that hit at a .222 clip last season, ranking third in the conference.
Meyer recorded six double-doubles for the Beach and led the squad in digs on six different occasions. She finished the season second on the team with 2.32 digs per set. Meyer’s quick hands and back-row skills may bolster the Bruins’ postseason chances.
Junior Maggie Li was Reft’s next addition. Li brings power to the Bruins’ pin-hitting arsenal. The Beijing local led the team in kills with 463, which ranked second in the ACC, and posted a team-high 4.06 kills per set during her final season at California.
Li will improve an already strong outside unit, since senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette – who led the Bruins with 435 kills in 2024 – is set to return.
But offense is only half the battle; Reft also prioritized the team’s defense this offseason.
Reft also acquired All-Big Ten Freshman Team libero Lola Schumacher, who provides back-row depth. Schumacher led the Badgers with 3.64 digs per set last season and had 22 double-digit dig performances.
“She’s an immediate impact player, and she’s been tremendous for us,” Reft said. “She’s a standout, handles the ball for us, but also just as a person. She’s such an infectious personality, and that’s been really nice to have.”
UCLA finished last in blocks and second to last in blocks per set in the Big Ten last season, but middle blockers graduate student Phekran Kong and redshirt junior Marianna Singletary may change that. Kong racked up 97 blocks at Louisville – 18 of which were solo stuffs – in 2024. Singletary led Texas with 134 blocks last season and averaged 1.38 blocks per set throughout her redshirt sophomore campaign.
“Mari is a big personality and she holds a lot of space,” Reft said. “She’s, right now, a lot of the competitive heart of our team, and she knows what it takes to win championships.”
Securing five transfers and five freshmen in the offseason is no easy feat, but Reft knows what it takes to build family bonds that not only mesh on the court, but off of it as well. He has been intentional with his acquisitions, which have helped foster team growth.
His commitment has not gone unnoticed – the players have already felt Reft’s energy, which has impacted the team’s culture heading into the 2025 campaign.
“Alfee is one of a kind,” Schumacher said. “From the moment we had our first phone call to the last time we talked, he never fails to show his care and joy for our team. Every single day, he shows up with a standard and a goal that he not only explains to us but expects us to meet. He brings passion, hope, intensity and trust every single day, whether that is on the court or off the court.”
Though the change will not come easily, the Bruins are working to figure out how to play together while Reft’s envisioned culture begins to take form.
And it seems that UCLA is embracing the fun of the challenge.
“This is a really energetic team,” Singletary said. “We found that out a little bit, especially in the sense that we were pretty dominant – in that just playing super loose and free and very joyful.”
As Reft’s vision for the team comes to life, the Bruins can leave their “middle of the pack” label for something far louder – a squad that is ready to make some postseason noise.
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