Before Friday’s game against Maryland Eastern Shore, members of the ninth-seeded UCLA women’s volleyball team had the opportunity to watch its two potential second-round opponents compete at the John Wooden Center.
Although it was unusual to sit and watch two unfamiliar teams compete on their home court over the weekend, the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament came and went through Westwood, leaving the Bruins with two wins and an upcoming trip to Kentucky.
UCLA handily defeated its first-round opponent, taking control of the game and staying in the driver’s seat until match point rolled around.
Junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder led the Bruins with 11 kills and senior libero Lainey Gera recorded a career-high four service aces.
“I was definitely pumped up. Starting the tournament is really exciting, knowing that we finally get to prove everything that we worked so hard for,” Kidder said.
Coach Mike Sealy noted UCLA’s dominant service game as being an important factor in the team’s success, as the aggressive serves prevented Maryland from establishing a rhythm on offense.
“We served really well. On video, they hit hard, they hit fast, so I knew if they were insistent that was going to be a challenge, so it was nice to get them out of their system,” Sealy said.
Gera and fellow senior Lauren van Orden stepped up again, facilitating UCLA’s offense and preventing Maryland from stringing multiple points together.
“We definitely tried to stay disciplined with (Maryland) and realized that they had nothing to lose and were definitely going after it, so we had to make sure our attitude was good, too,” Gera said.
UCLA’s block defense shut down San Diego’s attack in the second round. Sophomore Mariana Aquino had nine kills and a personal-best 11 blocks, and Kidder and fellow junior Tabi Love each added 17 kills of their own.
The Bruins took the first two sets 25-16, 25-15, but the Toreros responded, closing out the third set with a 10-3 run. San Diego wasn’t able to contain UCLA in the final set, however, losing 25-17.