Audrey Pak 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.

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.

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.

The Bruins’ gameplay continuously scaled new peaks as the weekend unfolded. Their head coach said this pattern was reminiscent of the team’s hopes for the rest of their Pac-12 play.

The Bruins capitalized on both their home turf and a meaningful event Friday night. UCLA women’s volleyball (11-8, 3-6 Pac-12) hosted Washington (13-7, 4-5) in its first of two home games this weekend.

The Bruins managed to break out of their three-game losing streak. UCLA women’s volleyball (10-7, 2-5 Pac-12) swept its first contest against California (12-6, 1-6) on Friday night with a healthy Bruin squad.

The Bruins were unable to maintain their ground during the crunch in Arizona. UCLA women’s volleyball (9-7, 1-5 Pac-12) took on its first Pac-12 road trip, securing just one set victory en route to defeats to Arizona (6-11, 1-5) and No.