Late in the second set of its Sunday match against Colorado, the UCLA women’s volleyball team found itself down 17-24, a single point away from losing the set.
Undaunted, the Bruins rattled off seven consecutive points to force a deuce at 24 points and shift much of the game’s momentum onto their side.
But with two points, Colorado (11-7, 3-3 Pac-12) completely diminished all of it.
Winning back the second set and tying the game at one set apiece, the Buffaloes never looked back, dominating the Bruins in the final two sets, outscoring them 50-29 overall and handing them their fifth loss of the season.
Throughout the match, Colorado consistently dominated No. 17 UCLA at the net, out-blocking UCLA 15 to 8 and out-hitting them .360 to .211.
Senior setter Julie Consani led the Bruins by notching 41 assists to couple with her seven digs, while senior outside hitter Karsta Lowe saw 21 of her 45 attempts find the hardwood as she led the team in kills and maintained her season hitting percentage of .311.
Sunday’s loss against the Buffs continues an uninspired trend for the Bruins, earning their third loss in the past five contests, one of which has come against an unranked opponent.
The weekend, however, wasn’t a complete wash for UCLA (12-5, 3-3), as it emerged Friday night with its first home win in a five-set victory over Utah (11-6, 1-5).
In a record-breaking night for the Bruins, Lowe recorded a career-high 30 kills, while sophomore libero Taylor Formico tallied the 1,000th dig of her young collegiate career.
In stark contrast to the performance they put on against Colorado, the Bruins surpassed the .300 hitting percentage mark against the Utes, marking the 52nd straight time that the Bruins have won when hitting .300.
After splitting its home matches this weekend, UCLA is at the halfway point of its season, with a 3-3 conference record and a position about halfway up the Pac-12 women’s volleyball standings.
Two days of rest await UCLA before it switches home venues to Santa Monica and tackles another couple of “home” Pac-12 matches against No. 11 Oregon on Wednesday and Oregon State on Friday.
Compiled by Erik Kaye, Bruin Sports contributor.