Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez from UCLA have been named semifinalists for the AVCA Beach Player of the Year, according to an April 16 announcement by University of California, Los Angeles Athletics. The two athletes have played together on Court 1 for the past two seasons, compiling a record of 26-3 this year and a career total of 57-7 as a pair. Their partnership ranks tied for third all-time at UCLA in career pair victories.
The recognition highlights their achievements over recent seasons. In addition to being named the 2025 MPSF Pair of the Year, Boyd and Perez became the first Bruins duo to win the AVCA Pairs National Championship in Fall 2024.
Boyd is a senior from Flower Mound, Texas. She is a three-time first-team All-American and all-conference selection. In her collegiate career, she has achieved several milestones including being named MPSF Player of the Year in 2025 and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023. Boyd holds an overall record of 118-20 and earlier this season became just the eleventh Bruin to reach one hundred career wins. She currently sits fifth on UCLA’s career victories chart—one win away from fourth place—and is also ranked third on UCLA’s pairs victories list with both Perez and Lexy Denaburg as partners during her time at UCLA. Academically, Boyd has earned second-team Academic All-America honors, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award, two conference all-academic honors, and has appeared on the Director’s Honor Roll ten times.
Perez is a sophomore from Apex, North Carolina who had an impressive freshman season in which she was awarded first-team AVCA All-America honors as well as being named MPSF Freshman of the Year with additional first-team All-MPSF recognition. She has maintained Director’s Honor Roll status every quarter since arriving at UCLA. This fall she partnered with Stanford’s Avery Jackson to win gold at the FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championship—the second American pair ever to do so—and currently holds a personal record this year of 27-3 (58-7 overall).
Other semifinalists for this year’s award include Kennedy Coakley (USC), Ella Connor (Cal Poly), Emma Donley (California), Alexis Durish (Florida State), Avery Jackson (Stanford), and Audrey Koenig (Florida State).
