On a night that showcased what UCLA women’s volleyball could be, for better and worse, it was the players from what the team used to be that made the difference.
Senior middle blocker Mariana Aquino posted a career high of 17 kills and six digs, and a personal best hitting percentage of .682. Meanwhile, senior outside hitter Kelly Reeves knocked in the match point as part of her sixth consecutive double-double. Fellow 2011 championship team member Megan Moenoa, a junior setter, notched 52 assists in UCLA’s 3-2 victory over Washington State.
“I feel like we were playing fast, the combination of the passing and the setting. I feel like we passed well and most of the time the setters set the middles a lot this match,” said Aquino. “(The setters) did a good job so that helped me set my record for sure, it wasn’t just me obviously, it was everyone’s effort towards that.”
The Bruins’ potential was on display in sets two and three as UCLA outscored Washington State 50-27, a span of play in which the Bruins never trailed.
“I think as soon as we got a small run, we were able to capitalize on it and we kept pushing and we didn’t really rely on our lead and kind of just kept on the other team and didn’t let them get back in it,” said junior outside hitter Karsta Lowe, who led all players with 22 kills.
For good as the team was in the second and third sets, UCLA struggled in the fourth. The Cougars led by as many as eight, while the Bruins, who committed just three attack errors in the first three sets, had eight in the fourth alone and hit a match low of .105.
While UCLA failed to play up to its full ability, two of its most tenured players were also not performing at 100 percent. Reeves sprained her ankle in the first set and Moenoa, who coach Mike Sealy said was a game-time decision before the match, was diagnosed with tonsillitis and had been battling a fever earlier in the week.
“I think what happened was that there was so much random adversity,” Sealy said. “Megan was a game-time decision. … Kelly Reeves sprained her ankle the first set so we kind of had the conversation that everyone was going to have to do a little bit more than they were used to.”
After the drop in play in set four, an issue that has plagued the Bruins this season, UCLA had the opportunity to exorcise the late-game demons it had failed to rid itself of in previous matches in a fifth decisive set.
The two teams traded runs, with the Cougars capturing four of the first five points and the Bruins taking five of the next seven before eventually settling into a 13-all tie. In the end, it was UCLA’s hobbled veterans that closed the match as Reeves followed a Moenoa kill with one of her own to seal the victory.
With every game now crucial this late in the season and with so many previous missed opportunities, the Bruins said they realized how vital it was to win this type of match.
“It was really important (to win a close game) because usually we faced some obstacles closing close matches for sure,” Aquino said. “We did something different yesterday and it was very important to prove to ourselves that we can do it and we can go through those kind of situations and get a victory out of it.”