Top-seeded UCLA Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals

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GULF SHORES, Ala. — No. 1 UCLA (38-3) battled rain, high winds, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (25-10) and came out victorious with a 3-0 sweep of the 17th-seeded Islanders on Friday in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship at Gulf Beach Place. UCLA earned its 24th sweep of the year, which is the most in program history, surpassing the record 23 established by the NCAA Championship team of 2019.

The Bruins put the first point on the board on court two when graduate Abby Van Winkle and junior Peri Brennan took down the Islanders’ Kristin Bobay and Chloe Tome, 21-11, 21-12.

UCLA’s court one pair of senior Lexy Denaburg and freshman Maggie Boyd made it 2-0 with a 21-18, 21-8 win over Kiley Lewis and Giuliana Poletti Corrales.

Graduate student Marlie Monserez and sophomore Jessie Smith clinched the dual victory on court four with a 21-11, 21-11 win over Shea Slusser and Kela Moreno.

On court three, graduate student Haley Hallgren and senior Rileigh Powers were leading Jade Bennett and Tori Johnson, 21-16, 4-3, before time was called. Additionally, graduate student Jaden Whitmarsh and senior Devon Newberry were leading Maria Duda Fernandes de Melo and Hannah Doyle, 21-15, 20-12 when the match was truncated.

NOTES: No. 1 UCLA has swept its last five opponents (3-0, Arizona, USC, Stanford, California, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) after losing 3-2 to Stanford on day one of the Pac-12 Championship … UCLA has 24 sweeps on the year (five at the Pac-12 Championship), which is the most in program history (23 by the 2019 NCAA Championship squad) … Abby Van Winkle, the UCLA all-time career leader in wins, now has 127 … the Bruins improved to 2-0 all-time against the Islanders of TAMCC … Lexy Denaburg posted her 97th career victory against the Islanders … before the dual, the AVCA announced that Peri Brennan and Abby Van Winkle on court two and Rileigh Powers and Haley Hallgren on court four had earned the AVCA Top Flight Award.

UCLA will face No. 8 California (29-9), which survived a challenge from No. 9 Long Beach State, 3-2, tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. CT/7:00 a.m. PT on ESPN2. The Bruins recently defeated the Golden Bears, 3-0, to win their third Pac-12 Championship (Apr. 28).

No. 1 UCLA def….