UCLA Roundnet earns Bronze-bracket podium at Southwest sectional

Freshmen Yonah Light and Liam Maritnez pushed UCLA Roundnet past Cal Poly and Arizona, and the Bruins finished third against Nevada to take a bronze-bracket podium at the 2026 Southwest sectional. The finish came after UCLA sent both a Division I and Division II squad into the biggest tournament in the Southwest Section, a setup that let the program stay alive deep into bracket play instead of leaning on one dominant pairing.

The Bruins’ own May 26 recap makes the shape of the run clear: UCLA held enough momentum out of pool play to keep both squads relevant, and the freshman duo became the team’s headline pair once knockout play tightened. Light and Maritnez carried the Bruins through the Cal Poly and Arizona matches before UCLA’s run ended in the third-place match against Nevada. That bronze mattered because it was not a fluke result from one hot side of the draw. It was the product of multiple pairs doing work across the day, with D1 and D2 both helping UCLA survive the early rounds.

That depth is what has separated UCLA from programs that spike for one weekend and disappear the next. The spring podium added another checkpoint to a 2026 season that already showed the Bruins could convert roster breadth into sectional points, and it reinforced the value of turning freshmen into immediate contributors. In college roundnet, chemistry wins more rallies than raw athleticism, and UCLA’s weekend was built on repeat touches, familiar pairings and a lineup that could absorb pressure without breaking apart.

The result also fits a pattern that stretches back through recent sectional play. At the 2025 Southwest Fall Sectional, UCLA’s D1 team finished second after a 2-3 loss to Cal Poly, while the D2 and Open teams also reached the podium. Captain Archie Powell framed that fall run as something to build from heading into spring sectionals, and UCLA answered with another top-three finish. The Bruins were also in the finals picture in 2024, when they traveled to Tempe, Arizona, went undefeated in pool play and beat UC Irvine and Grand Canyon University in bracket play before reaching the title match. Cal Poly then fell to Nevada in the semifinals on the other side of the bracket.

Stack those results together and UCLA no longer looks like a team hunting a breakthrough. It looks like a program that has become a regular factor in Southwest college roundnet, with the roster depth to keep returning to the sectional podium.