Up until last season, the USC dominated the UCLA women’s volleyball team, amassing a nine-match win streak over the Bruins.
But now it seems as if the tide has turned. Not a single player from the 2005 squad knew what it was like to beat the Trojans; now, some current Bruins haven’t even experienced defeat at those same hands.
Before a frenzied crowd of 3,303 Friday night, the No. 5 Bruins (14-2, 4-1 Pac-10) swiped a four-game win from No. 4 USC (14-2, 3-2) by defeating the Women of Troy 30-26, 25-30, 30-25, 30-22, increasing their own winning streak over their crosstown rivals to three matches.
“Every time you beat ‘SC you get this rush through your body,” junior Ali Daley said. “And the whole school just helps you out; it feels so good.”
“The class my freshman year had never beaten ‘SC, so it feels really good to have a string against them and obviously it’s fun to beat them at home,” junior Kaitlin Sather added.
In their first home match since classes began on campus, the Bruins did not disappoint their eager home crowd. With the lower bowl of Pauley Pavilion filled nearly to capacity and the band in attendance, a wave of energy filled the gym even before first serve of this rivalry game.
Daley and Sather set the tone early on in the match, leading the team out to a 13-7 lead and forcing the Trojans to call their first timeout. The outside hitters both contributed double-figure kills on the night with 16 kills, and dug up 16 and 15 balls, respectively.
“It was great to see Kaitlin Sather do so well,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “That really gave us some balance that we need. Daley ended up putting up good numbers (as well).”
Senior middle blocker Rachell Johnson also had a solid night, hitting .500 on 10 kills, and freshman Katie Mills added nine kills and nine blocks.
“Andy said we have to fire on all cylinders,” Sather said. “When everyone is playing well we can be really successful.”
What allowed the offense to run so smoothly Friday was the Bruins’ solid back-row defense, led by libero Jade Machado’s 18 digs. Virtually flawless passing from the entire team allowed setter Nellie Spicer to run the offense to near perfection.
“I think we made (USC) have to make errors and we put a lot of pressure on them,” Sather said. “We kept giving it back and playing long rallies and winning long rallies. I think our (defensive specialists) and libero are doing a good job.”
There was a slight setback in Game 2, however, and the Bruins fell behind by as much as five points. Fighting back with kills from Daley and two thunderous blocks from Daley, Mills, and Spicer, UCLA surged ahead to gain a 14-11 advantage over the Women of Troy. But USC outside hitter Kimmee Roleder put down six of her 13 kills in the second game, including the game point, to keep the visitors in the running.
However, throughout Game 3 and into Game 4, the Bruins gained back the momentum in the match, building a lead as large as 13 points.
“It was actually almost a little bit more nerve-racking because we were up by so much and we didn’t want to lose momentum,” Sather said. “We were just trying to stay focused, but it was awesome. There’s nothing better than that.”
INJURY REPORT: On the way to a 30-22 Game 4 rout, Johnson got hung up in the net and landed on a player’s foot, spraining Johnson’s right ankle. Senior Meghan Schoen came in to replace her.