After a season spent fighting hard to recover from the last one and once again earn a spot in the NCAA championship postseason bracket, it seemed the Bruins’ work was rewarded in their last regular season match on Friday.
Not only did the No. 17 Bruins (20-11, 11-9 Pac-12) host USC (15-15, 8-12) in the team’s first match in Pauley Pavilion all season, but the team also saw a full five-set victory (25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12) after a comeback in the fourth and fifth sets.
“Anytime you can finish Senior Night against ‘SC – and the fact that the football game was last week and people are still riding the high after that – it was a great atmosphere,” said coach Michael Sealy on Friday. “I wouldn’t have wanted this against any other team.”
The team celebrated Senior Night, where setter Megan Moenoa, middle blocker Zoë Nightingale, setter Julie Consani and outside hitter Karsta Lowe were recognized for their contributions to the team after their last regular season match played for UCLA.
“Megan and Julie have both set this team to a very, very high standard. They both have allowed us to play great at various times throughout the year. Zoë’s been a great blocking presence – once again tonight she got a handful of blocks – and Karsta’s just been a monster,” Sealy said.
The Bruin seniors ended their careers on a high note, with both Lowe and Consani scoring double-doubles and Consani posting a career-high 67 assists. Lowe added 32 kills and 13 digs, while Nightingale added 5 kills.
“It was such a fun way to end this season,” Consani said. “All of our hitters were hitting great – they made it easy for me to get those assists. We’re really happy.”
While UCLA started the night off with a victory, USC fought hard to avenge its 3-0 loss earlier in the season and came back to win the second and third sets. A Bruin victory in the fourth tied the match 2-2, but a kill from Lowe decisively closed out the match, leading the Bruins to a final victory.
“Yeah it’s definitely really a big win,” Lowe said. “Especially when it goes to five, so we had to duke it out to the end and it’s so exciting. And to bookend the season with wins against ‘SC, it’s a really, really great feeling.”
Three years ago, the current seniors defeated then-No. 3 Illinois to win the NCAA championship. While wins against USC make for great bookends to this season, the team hopes to earn another national championship to bookend the seniors’ careers.
With contributing reports from Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.