UCLA’s Ensley Alden and Kaley Mathews were named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)/Molten Pair of the Week on April 14 after securing three victories to help UCLA win the Center of Effort Beach Volleyball Challenge.
The recognition highlights their performance against top-ranked teams, including No. 9 California, No. 13 Arizona State, and No. 4 USC. In the championship match versus USC, Alden and Mathews defeated Ashley Pater and Sarah Wood in straight sets, helping even the overall score before UCLA ultimately claimed a narrow 3-2 victory to secure the title.
During their match against Arizona State, Alden and Mathews earned UCLA’s first point with a decisive win over Ava Kirunchyk and Olivia McElroy as part of a team sweep. They also opened the tournament by defeating California’s Grace Hong and Marilu Pally in two sets.
With these results, Alden and Mathews improved their season record to 18-4. The university reports that Alden has now accumulated 25 victories this season—tied for second-most on the team—while Mathews is among seven Bruins with at least 20 wins this year.
This marks the first time Alden and Mathews have received this weekly conference honor together. It is also only the second time a Bruin pair has won it this year; Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd previously earned it on March 3. Additionally, Alden had previously won a conference pair of the week award earlier in 2024 with Natalie Myszkowski.
