The Bruins are back on track.
UCLA women’s volleyball (4-1) swept Miami (0-4) in back-to-back matches at Knight Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday. The weekend marked the third sweep by the Bruins in the past four matches.
While Miami managed to take an early lead in the first set, UCLA got back on course, hitting at a .310 clip – a season best. After trading points all night, the Bruins walked away with 25-20, 25-20 and 25-23 scores.
Freshman middle blocker Brooke Harwood continues to shine during her first season at the collegiate level. She tallied 12 kills at a .688 clip with just one error – with a pair of blocks to complete the night, including her 4-0 run to close out the third set for the Bruins. Fellow freshman Vivian Hickman – a setter who served as a defensive specialist throughout the night – led the team with nine digs and two of the team’s seven aces.
“What she’s (Harwood) doing offensively for a freshman is so special, and the block and defense is going to come,” said coach Matt Werle. “We want to continue to try to expedite her growth and volleyball intelligence on the court, so we’re trying to make sure she’s really in full understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish across the nets. Brooke is a special athlete, and I think that she should be on everyone’s watch list to do some pretty special things this year as a freshman.”
Sophomore outside hitter Ava Utterback also continues to stand out in the early games with 10 kills at a .300 clip – the fourth time in five matches she has reached double-digit kills. Junior Ava Sarafa recorded her first start as the Bruins’ setter, directing the offense to its best performance so far by tallying 32 assists and six digs.
Back in the front row, fifth-year middle blocker Marianna Singletary helped spearhead the blocking efforts with five blocks alongside her seven kills. Next to her, sophomore right-side hitter Mija Bendziute was involved in four blocks while hitting at a .417 percentage with five kills.
“They (teammates) are so supportive of me, and no matter what’s going on in my head, I know that they have my back,” Utterback said. “We all really uplifted (by) each other, and that’s the thing that I love about this team – is that we’re all in it together, through the good and through the bad.”
But Miami wasn’t letting the double-header go without hitting back.
The first set on Saturday opened in a back-and-forth battle until the Bruins snagged a 10-7 lead. Miami worked back in to push ahead 19-18. Three UCLA attacking errors gave Miami a two-point lead at 22-20 before Sarafa controlled a joust at the net, and soon after, Harwood and Singletary put together a pair of kills to take the set 26-24.
Throughout the second set, both teams were neck and neck until a late 3-0 UCLA run gave the squad just enough room for Singletary and Bendziute to put together a pair of kills to take the second 25-23.
“My mentality going in was just to have fun, play with joy and take big risks because we have nothing to lose,” Bendziute said. “I think it paid off because our wins against Miami were super fun, and playing loose helped me get to that point.”
However, the third set started off shaky, with Miami jumping ahead to a 4-1 lead quickly. UCLA equaled the set at 13 apiece, then snagged four of the next five rallies to take a small lead. Singletary tacked on a pair of kills to keep the game even at 23-23, before Hickman delivered two ace serves to end the game with a 25-23 win.
Hickman also recorded 11 digs across the night, matched by junior libero Lola Schumacher. Sarafa once again served as the primary setter, spearheading the offensive attack with 40 assists, as well as a pair of kills.
“Everyone thrives around Vivian,” Werle said. “She has a very special personality about her. She knows the game really well, but then she can keep everything pretty lighthearted, and I think that’s really important for this group right now. They really rally around her.”
Three Bruins reached double-digit kills with Singletary in the lead, tallying 11 kills at a .529 clip. Bendziute and Utterback posted 10 kills each, with Bendziute adding a pair of blocks and a pair of digs, and Utterback holding steady in the backline with five digs.
Despite a tightly packed gym and intense energy from the crowd, the Bruins kept their focus inward to collect a pair of sweeps on the road to continue the 2026 campaign.
“We knew Miami was going to get pretty rowdy, and with being such a close, tight gym, we knew it was going to get loud, and we just leaned on each other,” Bendziute said. “We made the huddles tighter and longer, and we were super communicative throughout the whole game. Focusing on each other in the game kind of tuned out that noise and helped us focus better on the game.”
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