A kill from senior outside hitter Jordan Anderson put the UCLA women’s volleyball team ahead 25-24, and the Bruins had a chance to steal set four.
But Colorado tied it back up at 25, and UCLA would not lead again.
The No. 12 Bruins (11-3, 2-2 Pac-12) fell to the No. 20 Buffs (10-4, 2-2) Sunday in four sets with scores of 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 28-26.
Colorado came out fast and took an 8-4 lead in the first set, after which UCLA couldn’t take the lead. The Bruins tallied six serving errors and eight hitting errors in set one alone.
“It just has to be a mentality shift,” said coach Michael Sealy. “We play as if we’re the best team in the country and have something to lose, so we walk into every single match with this passive mentality more often than not.”
The Bruins were able to win their only game of the match in the second set, in part because they had half as many hitting errors as the first set. After the first two sets, UCLA hit .185 as compared to just .095 in the first set.
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The Bruins were unable to find their rhythm and lost 25-15 in set three, never to lead after being buried by the Buffs’ 9-2 lead. Colorado hit .424 to dominate UCLA at the net.
Still, the Bruins fought throughout the fourth set in an effort to force a decisive fifth set.
“I think at the end of set four we really showed resiliency, and I think that’s a sign of a great team,” said sophomore outside hitter Zana Muno. “I think that when things weren’t going the best, we looked toward each other and instead of looking to the bench or blaming people, we just decided to come together as a team.”
Also in set four, Sealy switched up his usual rotation in favor of playing sophomore Kyra Rogers and freshman Madeleine Gates at the middle blocker position. Each recorded two kills, and Gates added two block assist.
“They work very hard in practice and we connect very well in practice, so it wasn’t too much of a change in the game,” said freshman setter Kylie Miller. “They did a really good job coming off the bench and scoring points and blocking well.”
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With the nation’s No. 12 team being upset by a team which has spent the season at the bubble of the top 25, though, personnel may not be the problem.
“Our coaches talk about not having an ego and just realizing that we are not better than anybody else,” Muno said. “I think if we can make that mental switch then we will be really great for the rest of the season.”