As Jordan Anderson goes, so go the Bruins. Normally that’s fine for the women’s volleyball team, but it could be problematic if the junior outside hitter isn’t 100 percent healthy.
Sunday’s match against Oregon State (4-16, 2-8 Pac-12) marked the first conference match of the season in which someone other than Anderson led No. 8 UCLA (17-3, 8-2) in kills. Reily Buechler, a sophomore outside hitter, out-hit Anderson, notching 21 kills to Anderson’s 12, as the Bruins narrowly won in their first five-set match of the year.
Buechler and freshman setter Zana Muno both said Anderson dealt with some pain throughout the match.
“I just think Jordan was hurting a little bit,” Muno said. “Her ab wasn’t feeling great. Reily (Buechler) picked up the extra slack.”
All year, UCLA has relied on Anderson, who leads the team in kills by 100 and ranks fifth nationally in kills per set. On Sunday, the team’s success fluctuated along with Anderson’s.
“She was out of sync a bit,” said coach Michael Sealy. “I think she started strong, but in the third and fourth set she got kind of stuck in a rut.”
Anderson posted eight kills in the first two sets, and the Bruins won both. But in sets three and four, the junior recorded just one kill as the Bruins allowed the Beavers to tie the match.
In the third and fourth sets, Sealy substituted a variety of hitters in place of Anderson. But in the fifth set, Anderson came back in and contributed three kills without an error.
The transfer from West Virginia has been battling injury issues since at least two weeks ago, when she took it easy during practice in order to take care of her body.
The Bruins will hope Anderson is at full strength this weekend as they embark on a tough road trip with rematches against No. 5 Washington (18-12, 8-2) and Washington State (14-8, 3-7).
The Bruins lost to the Huskies in straight sets at Pauley Pavilion and beat the Cougars in the same fashion at the John Wooden Center earlier this season. In the loss to Washington, Anderson only tallied 13 kills but in the Washington State win, she dominated with 21 kills.