Anna Dodson News Today

Anna Dodson handed the Bruin faithful a gift this past holiday season. The redshirt senior middle blocker announced Jan. 9 on Instagram her return for one more year with the Bruins, utilizing her final year of eligibility.

This post was updated Dec. 6 at 9:34 p.m. Desiree Becker rises before the sun most days. “I wake up at 6 a.m., rush to put clothes on, leave the house by 6:15,” the middle blocker said.

After introducing an entirely new cohort at the program’s helm and phasing in eight fresh faces to its roster, UCLA women’s volleyball was poised for a shot at the 2023 NCAA tournament.

Déjà vu is in the air. UCLA women’s volleyball missed out on an NCAA tournament appearance for the second straight year on Sunday after yet another up-and-down season plagued by injuries and unforeseen losses.

An eerie sense of familiarity for the Bruin pack emerged at the 14-13 mark in the fifth set. Two months ago, the Trojans sat at that very score before winning the contest a few points later.

Anna Dodson’s performance on the court holds an emotional undercurrent. “Anna has tremendous heart,” said coach Alfee Reft. “And she’s OK wearing that heart on her sleeve.” Since the redshirt senior middle blocker landed in Westwood in 2019, she has picked up two All-Pac-12 honors and an AVCA Pacific South All-Region mention and was named to the 2023 U.S.

This weekend, the Bears will be migrating out of Bear Territory and into a familiar southern territory — Los Angeles. Cal will be facing long-time rivals USC and UCLA on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The country’s second-best team is on the slate for the Bruins’ final homestand. UCLA women’s volleyball (16-10, 8-8 Pac-12) will host No. 2 Stanford (22-3, 15-1) and California (15-12, 4-12) on Friday and Sunday, respectively, in its last time facing off against its Bay Area adversaries as conference opponents.

A mix of offensive scoring runs and serving efficiency allowed the Bruins to best the No. 9 team in the nation. UCLA women’s volleyball (16-10, 8-8 Pac-12) upset No.

The killer was stalled, but the heist still occurred. Senior opposite/oustide hitter Iman Ndiaye – the team leader in kills – posted a sub-.1 hitting clip for just the fifth time this season.