The No. 12 UCLA women’s volleyball team faced two opponents in the top half of the Pac-10 standings, each with very different outcomes. The Bruins swept Washington State on Saturday night after falling to No. 4 Washington on Friday in four tough sets.
The Bruins (14-6, 4-3 Pac-10) defeated the Cougars (15-4, 4-4) in a quick match that lasted one hour and nine minutes. Set scores were 25-12, 26-24, 25-12.
UCLA took the first set relatively easy, but the second set presented a bigger challenge. With the Bruins leading 21-20, the Cougars scored four of the next five points to reach set point at 24-22. A block from sophomore middle blocker Amanda Gil and freshman setter Lauren Cook, followed by an ace from Cook tied the set at 24. A kill from senior Kaitlin Sather and a hitting error from Washington State eventually gave UCLA the win in the close set.
“Washington State is a good team,” Sather said. “They’ve come a long way from where they used to be back in my freshman year.”
The Bruins then took the third and final set after a 7-0 run put them well in the lead. The Cougars had a difficult time implementing their attack, hitting in the negative in the third set. They finished the set with a .031 hitting percentage, while UCLA’s .289 hitting percentage greatly contributed to the win.
“I was really happy that we were able to get a sweep at Washington State,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “They were undefeated at home, so we were the first team to give them a loss at home.”
The Bruins looked good on paper during their match against Washington on Friday night but were not able to beat the Huskies, falling 25-19, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18. Sophomore libero Lainey Gera tallied a career-high 28 digs. Additionally, Cook, Sather and freshman outside hitter Bojana Todorovic all recorded double-doubles.
Led by junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson and in front of a crowd of more than 5,000, Washington played true to its top rank in the Pac-10.
“Washington is certainly very deserving of their ranking,” Banachowski said. “They are maybe the most mature team in Pac-10 right now. If there is one team that I would call a veteran team, it would be Washington.”
After falling to the Huskies in the first set, the Bruins made things close toward the end of the second set. With a three-point deficit at 20-17, UCLA tied the score at 22 with help from a Todorovic ace and a UCLA block. A few plays later, freshman outside hitter Mari Hole killed the ball to put UCLA at set point. However, Washington rallied back to score three consecutive points to take the second set.
UCLA took the third set from the Huskies, as the Bruins used a 6-2 run to go up 21-16 late in the set. Washington, once again, pushed for points to tie the score at 24-24. A block from Gil and Hole put UCLA up by one and at set point. Gil followed through with a kill to claim the set for UCLA 26-24.
Gil credited the win of the third set to a boost of intensity in the Bruins’ offense.
“Before we were intimidated and nervous with whole crowd atmosphere, but just being more aggressive with out hitting and serving helped us win (the third set),” Gil said.
Although the Bruins led the fourth set early on, the Huskies took the final set and match.
Carlson and senior outside hitters Airial Salvo and Jill Collymore combined for 42 kills for Washington.
“I think Washington can be a beatable team for us,” Sather said. “As long as we play our game, we can play with anyone in the country.”