The weekend started familiarly for the women’s volleyball team.
After dropping the first set of its Friday night match, No. 12 UCLA (13-3, 4-2 Pac-12) looked headed for a repeat of last year’s straight-set loss to Utah.
But this, as coach Michael Sealy put it, was a “whole ‘nother year.”
His team proved him right, winning six straight sets to dispatch Utah (7-10, 1-5) on Friday and then Colorado (10-8, 2-4) in straight sets Sunday.
“We were thinking about (last year’s loss to Utah) but I knew that we were a better team overall,” said sophomore outside hitter Reily Buechler. “We were ready to come in and win regardless of what happened last year.”
After the lone loss, there was no panic in the huddle, and the Bruins took the time to regain their confidence instead.
“We knew we were able and capable of beating Utah and we had that confidence regardless of losing the first (set),” Buechler said. “There was confidence in the huddle.”
Sealy said he made no major adjustments after the first set, and that his team simply began executing its game plan.
“We weren’t playing our game, we weren’t following assignments,” said Sealy. “(After the first game) we settled in and did what we were supposed to do.”
The offense picked up after the first game. UCLA hit a measly -.053 in the first set, but eclipsed .340 in all but one set the rest of the weekend. Junior outside hitter Jordan Anderson, after hitting only .170 against the Utes, hit a team-leading .444 percentage against the Buffaloes, with help from redshirt sophomore setter Ryann Chandler.
“Just the fact that (Chandler) is able to set me all those balls and she feels comfortable doing that makes me feel so much more comfortable swinging,” said Anderson. “My teammates are always behind me covering me, so I know I can just go up there and swing away and if I get blocked, hopefully they’ll be able to pick it up.”
Anderson led the team in kills in both matches, racking up 18 against Utah and 20 against Colorado. She said the strong weekend showing should help UCLA as it prepares for tough matchups with No. 14 Arizona and No. 5 Arizona State this weekend.
“I think in the Arizona games, we’re going to have a lot of momentum,” Anderson said. “Knowing our system is going to work on our side no matter what is going to bring confidence into this weekend.”
Sealy doesn’t buy it.
“I think every weekend is its own animal. I don’t think you build momentum one weekend to the next. You’ve got six days until we play again and it’s not going to carry,” said Sealy. “If anything, at least we’re getting positive reinforcement that we don’t need to panic and push and do anything more than we normally do.”