UCLA’s hopes for undefeated first weekend upended by LMU
Freshman outside hitter Olga Strantzoli played two consecutive error-free games in UCLA women’s volleyball’s wins against Binghampton and LIU Brooklyn. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Alexis Williams
Sept. 2, 2014 12:00 a.m.
Quick high-fives and laughs all around signaled the unofficial start of the UCLA women’s volleyball’s match against Long Island University, Brooklyn at the LAX Classic Saturday morning. Seconds later, senior outside hitter Karsta Lowe stood poised in attack position – knees bent, arms extended, eyes fixated across the net.
After the first serve, Lowe ensured the first few volleys ended with quick kills in the Bruins’ favor, and helped the Bruins win their second match of the season.
Just the night before, Lowe stood in that exact same position, only facing different opponents across the net – the Binghamton University Bearcats. It had taken Lowe and the rest of the Bruins only 73 minutes to defeat the Bearcats in their first match of the LAX Classic, thanks in large part to freshman outside hitter Olga Strantzali’s 16 kills and zero errors. The victory (25-10, 25-17, 25-9) marked UCLA’s first of the season, and also its 45th straight match of hitting over .300.
On Saturday, with Lowe’s straight-out-of-the-gate kills, it looked as though the Bruins would finish out their final two matches of the tournament much the same way as the first.
In the first match of the day, Lowe led UCLA with 18 kills against LIU Brooklyn. Freshmen outside hitters Strantzali, who played her second consecutive error-free match, and Reily Buechler, who made nine kills, helped UCLA maintain its momentum from the day before. While there were 11 ties in the third set, the Bruins still added another victory (25-17, 25-13, 28-26) to bring their record to 2-0, completing their 46th consecutive match hitting over .300 in the process.
However, the Bruins lost their season-opening momentum in their last match of the day against Loyola Marymount – the tournament’s host team. In this match, Lowe’s season-high 24 kills weren’t enough to earn the Bruins their third season victory, as they fell to the Lions in straight sets (25-19, 25-22, 25-23). The Bruins’ .202 hit average for the match couldn’t stand up to the Lions‘ .247, and also broke their hitting percentage streak.
The Bruins (2-1) will now rest for a week before traveling to Stanford for the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge next weekend. UCLA will face off against No. 11 Illinois on Friday, followed by a match against No. 1 Penn State – the defending national champions – on Saturday.
Compiled by Alexis Williams, Bruin Sports contributor.
