The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
UCLA
No. 3 Beach Volleyball defeats No. 1 UCLA to advance to MPSF Championship semifinals
04.23.2026 | Beach Volleyball
No. 3 seed Longhorns to face No. 5 USC on Friday (10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT).
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – No. 3 Texas Beach Volleyball, the tournament's No. 3 seed, defeated No. 1 UCLA, the No. 2 seed, 3-1, on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the MPSF Championship at Spiker Beach.
Texas took the early lead on Court 2 as Anna Pavelkova and Kacka Pavelkova earned a 21-16, 21-18 win.
The Longhorns moved ahead 2-0 on Court 5 with Macey Butler and Karin Zolnercikova securing a 24-22, 21-18 victory.
UCLA responded on Court 3 with a tightly contested win, edging Emma Grace Robertson and Lily Davis, 21-18, 22-20, to cut the deficit to 2-1.
With Courts 1 and 4 still in progress, Texas clinched the dual on Court 1. Brecht Piersma and Katie Hashman bounced back after dropping the second set to win 21-17, 17-21, 15-10 and secure the 3-1 victory.
On Court 4, Chloe Charles and Savannah Thomas had their match halted tied 2-2 in the third set after splitting the first two, 21-8, 22-24.
The win marked Texas' second victory over top-ranked UCLA this season after a 3-2 decision at the Texas Invitational in March.
Texas advances to face No. 5 USC, the tournament's No. 4 seed, at 10 a.m. CT (8 a.m. PT) on Friday. The winner will move on to the MPSF Championship final at 12:15 p.m. CT (10:15 a.m. PT) against the winner of No. 2 Stanford, the tournament's No. 1 seed, and No. 1 UCLA.
#3 Texas 3, #1 UCLA 1
- Brecht Piersma / Katie Hashman (Texas) def. Sally Perez / Maggie Boyd (UCLA) 21-17, 17-21, 15-10
- Anna Pavelkova / Kacka Pavelkova (Texas) def. Kaley Mathews / Ensley Alden (UCLA) 21-16, 21-18
- Alexa Fernandez / Harper Cooper (UCLA) def. Lily Davis / Emma Grace Robertson (Texas) 21-18, 22-20
- Chloe Charles / Savannah Thomas (Texas) vs. Ava Williamson / Jesse Dueck (UCLA) 8-21, 24-22, 2-2 (Did Not Finish)
- Karin Zolnercikova / Macey Butler (Texas) def. Kenzie Brower / Mallory LaBreche (UCLA) 24-22, 21-18
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 3, 1
