Not quite accustomed to entering matches as the favorite, the
women’s volleyball team is still adjusting to life as a No. 3
team.
Already this season, the Bruins have been taken to several
four-game matches by teams they should have easily overpowered and
swept. And the same held true for UCLA against a struggling Arizona
team Friday, with the Bruins winning 3-1 (30-24, 30-23, 20-30,
30-25.)
But on Saturday, UCLA fought back in true championship-caliber
fashion to avoid a similar fate, sweeping the Arizona State Sun
Devils (30-21, 30-26, 30-28).
UCLA (19-0, 6-0 Pac-10) has now extended its winning streak to
19 matches this season.
Winning Friday was no easy task for the Bruins. Although the
Wildcats (9-7, 1-4) dwell near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings,
they put up a tough fight, limiting the Bruins to their lowest
offensive output this season.
“We were just never really able to establish the rhythm
with our team,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “They were
making a lot of short, strategic serves, so we had no rhythm of
hitting. Their blocking disrupted us as well.”
Hitting .120 Friday night, the Bruins were in a tight spot. But
it was their passing and ball control that pulled them through to
victory, Banachowski said. With the win, UCLA finally ended the
three-match losing streak against the Wildcats, which began two
years.
Because easing up after seemingly having the match in the bag
has been one of UCLA’s main concerns this season, the Bruins
sought to fix that immediately on Saturday.
But first on UCLA’s agenda was righting the offensive
letdown from the previous night. From the valley of their .120
hitting average Friday, the Bruins went on an error-free high in
Game 1 against Arizona State (9-7, 1-4), hitting .500 on 19 kills
in 38 attempts.
“We really wanted to correct our offensive misfiring from
(Friday),” Banachowski said. “We were much more intent
on forcing the tempo and staying in the rhythm we’re
comfortable playing. We just ended up being more aggressive and
being in our rhythm. It was a great first game offensively
(Saturday).”
Opposite Colby Lyman was a huge part of the Bruins’
offensive turnaround Saturday. The senior hit a nearly perfect
night, going 9 for 11 at an outstanding .818 clip.
“She just hit smart shots,” Banachowski said.
“She’s always been an intelligent player.”
Sophomore Ali Daley also had one of her best nights as a Bruin,
leading the team with 12 kills. The match went smoothly from the
first game on until the middle of Game 3, when the Bruins hit a
rut. Down by as many as seven points at 19-12, UCLA appeared to be
headed down the same path they had just traveled the night before
against Arizona. But, not wanting the match to slip to four games
again, the Bruins gritted their teeth and whittled away the
points.
“We tend to relax a little bit when we get in comfortable
situations,” Banachowski said. “Arizona State really
played well coming out in that third game. But our kids really
respond to challenges really well. We did a great job of coming
back and not making any mistakes down the stretch.”
At 26-25, UCLA finally took back the lead in the third set, and
with the momentum in their favor, the Bruins sealed the match.
Overall, Banachowski was pleased with the weekend’s
outcome.
“To get two wins on the road, it feels good,”
Banachowski said.
UCLA can look forward to the upcoming week at home, when it will
take on No. 7 Cal and No. 6 Stanford on Thursday and Friday.