The No. 9 UCLA women’s volleyball team (21-10) finished off Louisiana State (18-10) in four sets tonight to move past the first round of NCAA Tournament play. With the victory, the Bruins will go on to face the Duke Blue Devils at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The hosting Bruins started slow against a scrappy Tigers team but would eventually rally back and get the win, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20.
Coming off the bench in the third set, sophomore Emily Clements, a New Orleans native, led the team with an outstanding .692 hitting percentage on the night, including some important momentum-grabbing kills.
“I probably had a little extra motive behind wanting to win tonight,” she said. “Of course, it’s a hometown rival, so you want to play your best, but everyone really came out and picked it up at the end, and that was what was important. It was a good team win.”
LSU’s defense was the story of the first two sets, as they picked up 40 digs and held the Bruins to a .208 team hitting percentage in that stretch.
“I think we felt a little bit of that do-or-die before the match even started,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “I think we were a little bit tense, a little bit nervous.”
Starting four freshmen in the first set, the Bruins had a tough time adjusting to the quick Tiger front line, but by the end they found their rhythm.
“I’m sure there was some jitters out there, being their first go in an NCAA Tournament,” Banachowski said. “I think it kind of affected our normal flow. Hopefully we’ll be a lot smoother tomorrow night.”
ALSO AT PAULEY: Earlier in the night, Duke defeated the San Francisco Dons in five sets, 26-28, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9. The Blue Devils were led by junior outside hitter Rachael Moss’ 16 kills and freshman setter Kellie Catanach’s 54 assists.