Attacked by errors, UCLA loses to USC
By Jordan Lee
Sept. 26, 2013 2:31 a.m.
It wasn’t a raucous crowd or hostile environment that doomed UCLA women’s volleyball trip to rival USC Wednesday night. It wasn’t even entirely the opposing team, although credit is certainly due to the Women of Troy, who earned a close 3-1 victory.
The Bruins beat themselves throughout the match as both the first two sets ended on errors.
In a back and forth first set that featured 16 ties and five lead changes, No. 11 UCLA (9-2, 0-1) didn’t have room for a single error, let alone six. Despite recording more kills (20-15) and attacks (37-33) than the Women of Troy, the Bruins could not overcome their six attack errors, as No. 4 USC, who record just one such error, took the first set 25-23.
The two squads played a virtually identical second match, as USC (11-1, 1-0) once again pulled away in a close set, winning 25-22 to go up 2-0 in the match. And just as the first set ended on attack error by senior outside hitter Kelly Reeves, the Women of Troy captured the second set ended after a blocking error by junior outside hitter Karsta Lowe.
“It defintely is frustrating (to lose like that) because you know you are better than that,” said Lowe, who led the Bruins with 15 kills. “We just kind of lost focus.”
In the third set UCLA was the one to pull away, winning 25-21 after initially trailing 15-11. The Bruins committed only one attack error in the third set and their .429 hitting percentage was far higher than the Women of Troy’s .174 percentage.
“We battled pretty hard that first stretch, we were dialed in to the game. I don’t think it was anything they were doing in particular, it was just a great battle,” said freshman middle blocker Claire Felix. “In the third set we knew we had to fight for it and everyone came together, and it was a team effort to pull out (that set)”.
However the comeback was not to be as the Women of Troy lead by as many as ten before finally taking the fourth set 25-16 and the match 3-1. UCLA committed more attack errors (10) than kills (9) in the final set, as USC closed out the match on a 16-7 run.
“We took a nap,” said coach Mike Sealy. “When you take a thirty- to forty-second nap you can lose three points. They had a cushion of 15-10 and the pressure’s on to battle back in and it just never happened.”
UCLA has little time to wake up as they take on Colorado Friday in Boulder, Colo.
