After dropping the first two sets in Friday’s home opener, the Bruins were only a few points away from losing to the Washington State Cougars and accepting defeat.
They didn’t give in that easily.
Clawing their way back to take the third set, No. 9 UCLA women’s volleyball (10-2, 1-1 Pac-12) began pulling off an incredible comeback that put it in the position to take the match. The fans in Pauley Pavilion roared with excitement as they watched the intense battle unfolding before them.
Despite the energy both on and off the court, the Bruins couldn’t find a way to win. They fought hard, but lost the fifth set 14-16.
“Both teams scrambled well. We just didn’t show up enough,” said coach Michael Sealy. “We realize now we’ve got two personas, we’ve got a Jekyll and a Hyde. We didn’t take care of the match when we were in a position to close it out…we need to identify when we get passive.”
The Bruins were coming off of a four-set win over USC on Wednesday, while the unranked Cougars (12-2, 2-0) pulled off a major triumph over No. 4 Washington the very same day.
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Sealy continued trying out a 6-2 rotation so that both of his setters – redshirt junior Ryann Chandler and freshman Kylie Miller – could split time setting up a more diverse set of hitters. Both sophomore Zana Muno and freshman Torrey Van Winden took swings from the right side.
It also provided a larger block in response to senior outside hitter Kyra Holt, an All-Pac-12 team selection who had 18 kills during the game, firing away from a range of spots on the court that made it difficult to defend her hits.
“A lot of times, you anticipate one shot and then she gives you something else,” Chandler said. “We had a really strong mentality going in, knowing that they were a really tough team, but I think we were a little caught off-guard and just weren’t executing enough.”
The Cougars took the first set 25-22, with strong serves and swings that put pressure on the back row. UCLA was still unable to push past their opponent in the second set, dropping 27-25 in a close race.
With six returning starters, the Cougars posed a formidable challenge due to their vast amount of experience and assets.
“That team has been waiting their turn to take a stand and they’ve got all the right pieces this year,’ said senior middle blocker Claire Felix.
Along with fellow senior middle blocker Jennie Frager, Felix had a strong performance against Washington State. The two were able to find holes in their opponent’s defense and run slide attacks to mix up the Bruin attack.
UCLA found its stride after letting Washington State claim the first two sets.
Junior outside hitter Reily Buechler and Van Winden posted 15 and 14 kills respectively against the Cougars. The Bruins held on to an early lead and came back to nab the third set 25-23.
Pulling away in the fourth set, UCLA gained an eight-point lead – the largest point gap throughout the entire match – and forced a game five.
In the end, it wasn’t enough to stop the Cougars.
Washington State and came surging back in the fifth set with aggressive swings that carried their energy through the remainder of the game.
UCLA’s momentum was also hindered by unforced errors, giving away valuable points to their opponent during crucial times. The fifth set ended with a frustratingly close defeat, with the Cougars inching by on top.
In terms of the past record between the two teams, the Bruins entered Friday having won 26 times in a row against Washington State and have posted a 28-2 record while playing Washington State in Westwood.