If the Bruins were upset about the previous night’s loss marking the end of their winning streak, they didn’t let it slow them down for long.
“Last night, the wheels just fell off the bus emotionally and mentally,” said coach Michael Sealy. “Which is fine. Those matches are going to happen in the course of a long season. It’s just about learning from it and moving on.”
No. 9 UCLA (19-5, 10-4 Pac-12) toppled unranked Arizona State (9-17, 2-12 Pac-12) in three sets Saturday. The Bruins collectively out-hit the Sun Devils .286 to.189, nabbing a decisive win in Tempe, Arizona.
With this victory, UCLA finished its weekend on the road with a 1-1 record. The Bruins fell to the Arizona in straight sets Friday, with the unranked Wildcats delivering UCLA its two most recent losses this season.
“We got swept and that definitely motivated us for tonight,” said senior libero Taylor Formico. “We wanted to come out strong in the first set and use that to fuel us for this game.”
[Related: Arizona breaks UCLA women’s volleyball’s win streak in straight sets]
The Bruins took an 8-3 lead in set one with three aces and several service errors from the host’s side. However, the Sun Devils put up some tough blocks at the net, narrowing the deficit and tying the set at 11.
Formico said that the opponent’s passing suffered initially, but grew steadier and greatly improved their offense.
“Our blockers had to think of where to go, and that put pressure on us,” Formico said. “Their hitters started taking great swings, which brought them back into the game and made it more tight.”
It was a much closer race from there, with each team battling to stay more than just one point ahead of the other. UCLA managed to pull ahead at 21-19, and powered through from there to take the first set 25-21, thanks to a final kill by hitter Reily Buechler.
The junior made a transition to attack from the right side, a position usually held by sophomore Zana Muno. Redshirt senior Haley Lawless took Buechler’s old spot on the left side.
Buechler tallied a team-leading 13 kills for the night, becoming the 28th Bruin to reach the 1,000-kill mark in the process.
“It’s pretty big especially as a junior, so I’m stoked,” Buechler said. “After last night, we were a little discouraged but we knew we had to turn up the volume and put more pressure on the other team. It’s good to know we can bounce back even after a loss like that.”
The Sun Devils took a 7-3 lead in set two, with middle blockers Oluoma Okaro and Jasmine Koonts posing large threats in the front row. Closing the gap, Buechler and senior outside hitter Jordan Anderson put away four consecutive points to help UCLA rally back to win the second set 25-22.
The Bruins maintained their lead from start in set three, eventually taking the set 25-19 and finish the sweep.
“We define toughness as being coachable, and no matter what’s going on, we need to be tough and ready to make that next play,” Sealy said. “We need to stick together when things are tough, and we did a much better job staying patient and composed tonight.”
Sealy added that while the team collectively struggled with frustration on Friday, postgame discussions had improved their mentality going into their second match this weekend.
UCLA hosted Arizona State a few weeks earlier in the season, claiming the match 3-0.
[Related: Strong second set powers women’s volleyball to win over Arizona State]
The Bruins will head to Northern California next to continue their four-match road trip. They face California on Thursday at 8 p.m.