UCLA women’s volleyball swept California for the second time this season.
The Bruins’ negative energy led to narrow wins in the first two sets, but they came alive in the third set, winning it by 10 points.
“It’s not the first time all year we didn’t play great,” said coach Michael Sealy. “But we were frustrated and disappointed, which meant that one error turned into three points. We weren’t very responsible with our individual energy and it was contagious.”
The No. 18 Bruins (17-10, 10-8 Pac-12) defeated the Golden Bears (13-16, 4-14) in Berkeley with set scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-15.
The Bruins began the opening set with a 3-0 lead which was followed by a 10-point run by the Golden Bears. UCLA came back to take the set despite being outhit .333 to .229 in the set.
California continued to show strength into the second set, as the Golden Bears held the lead through the start of the set until the Bruins took the lead at 12-11. There were eight ties and five lead changes to follow, but kills by freshman opposite Mac May, who recorded seven kills in the set, gave the Bruins a set win.
May led UCLA in the match with 10 kills, along with four blocks and two aces. She said what kept California close in the first two sets was their smart shot selection.
“They hit their balls into our open defense,” May said. “They definitely knew where to put the ball to get us a little chaotic on our side.”
The third set was controlled by the Bruins, as they started off with a 7-0 lead and held it, leading by as many as 13. UCLA outhit California .265 to .152 in the set.
Sealy said there was a different attitude for the Bruins that allowed them to be dominant in the third set.
“We didn’t just go through the motions and hope we got the point,” Sealy said. “It looked like someone was excited to go make a play.”
Junior middle blocker Kyra Rogers hit a season-high .667 in the match, posting nine kills with only one error.
“I was reading the block really well and (senior setter) Sarah (Sponcil) was giving me perfect situations to be able to hit,” Rogers said.
The Bruins play two more matches in the regular season before beginning their run in the NCAA tournament.
Rogers said she learned that no team can be taken lightly after the competitiveness of this match.
“It was definitely closer than I expected,” Rogers said. “I think we underestimated them a little bit because we did sweep them, so it kind of taught us to stay focused no matter what. You never know what’s going to happen.”