Instant replay: UCLA sports year in review

Men’s water polo

November 22, 2014 – MPSF semifinal – 5-3 loss to Long Beach State

The Bruins looked strong all season long, barely faltering at all en route to a 29-3 record. UCLA was undefeated in conference play, easily claiming the MPSF regular season title. Already favorites to win the NCAA title, the Bruins entered the MPSF postseason tournament with their eyes on the next stage. Uncharacteristic misplays led to UCLA’s defeat at the hands of Long Beach State by a score of 5-3 in the conference tournament semifinal, which threw the Bruins’ title hopes into doubt. However, the third-place matchup the following day proved to be a foreshadowing of the NCAA finals, with UCLA taking on USC, beating the Trojans 10-5. Although the semifinal loss was an unexpected setback in the Bruins’ postseason campaign, it spurred UCLA to the NCAA title match, which it eventually won 9-8 over USC.

Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Football

November 28, 2014 – Regular season – 31-10 loss to Stanford

At 9-2, needing just one more win to clinch the Pac-12 South, earn a berth to the Pac-12 Championship game and potentially claim one of the four College Football Playoff spots, UCLA entered the final week of the season with high expectations for their postseason. Raising the stakes even more was the opponent – Stanford, against whom UCLA had lost its past six matchups. The time looked right for the Bruins to finally break through and place themselves among the nation’s elite. Instead, Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan tore the Bruins apart as Stanford won 31-10 and kept UCLA from reaching its season goals.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Men’s soccer

December 6, 2014 – NCAA College Cup quarterfinals – 3-3 (7-6 PKs) win over UNC

After a dizzying span of mere minutes saw the men’s soccer team give up two goals and blow a 3-1 lead late in the NCAA College Cup quarterfinals, it looked as if the Bruins were once again headed for playoff heartbreak. Indeed, after a missed shot put the team down in the penalty shootout, a repeat of UCLA’s 2013 quarterfinal loss seemed imminent. But that was before senior goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. took things into his own hands. His two sudden-death saves won the match, sending the crowd rushing onto the pitch and keeping the Bruins’ College Cup hopes alive for another week. The match was a microcosm of the 2014 Bruins, whose stirring late victories took them all the way to the brink of an NCAA title – until, on a frigid Carolina afternoon, another penalty shootout shattered their dreams once again.

Compiled by Anay Dattawadkar, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Men’s volleyball

February 22, 2015 – Regular season – 3-1 win over USC

It was clear from the preseason, possibly from last year’s postseason, that the 2015 men’s volleyball season would be a rebuilding year. After a rocky opening to the conference season, then-No. 11 UCLA took a 3-5 MPSF record into its rivalry matchup with USC, then-ranked No. 3 in the nation. In what would prove to be a major upset, the Bruins handed the Trojans a dominating 3-1 loss. That would be UCLA’s only win against a higher-ranked team. Its effort was anchored that night by a big defensive performance from sophomore setter Hagen Smith, who registered 11 block assists. The Bruin block became a cornerstone of the 2015 team, in contrast to the offensive powerhouse it prided itself on being the year before. When Smith went down with a hand injury six games later, it marked a turning point in the Bruins’ season, which eventually came to a close in the quarterfinal of the MPSF tournament.

Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Women’s Tennis

February 27, 2015, March 4, 2015, March 7, 2015 – Regular season – 4-3 wins against Pepperdine, USC and Baylor

For women’s tennis, the defining moment of the season wasn’t a single match against a single opponent – a span of three matches really told its story. Consecutive 4-3 wins against Pepperdine, USC and Baylor were indicative of UCLA’s overall season. Against a less talented and decorated Pepperdine, UCLA showed how vulnerable it could be. Although they had the top players in the country, the Bruins still depended on every player, particularly in the lower courts, to secure match wins because of their shakier doubles play. Although UCLA prevailed against the Waves, its weaknesses – the doubles and lower lineup – were exposed. On the flip side, the upsets against the Trojans and Bears proved that even with an injured and ailing team, the Bruins were still dangerous and capable of defending their national championship.

Compiled by TuAnh Dam, Bruin Sports contributor.

Men’s basketball

March 19, 2015 – NCAA second round – 60-59 win over SMU

UCLA got lucky. No. 3-seeded Iowa State had just been upset by the University of Alabama-Birmingham, eliminating the top team in UCLA’s Louisville regional and paving a much easier path to the Sweet 16. But the Bruins needed a bit more luck to take advantage of it. Trailing Southern Methodist 57-59 with 13 seconds left in the Round of 64, UCLA’s NCAA Tournament future hung in the balance as sophomore guard Bryce Alford’s contested 3-pointer hung in the air. The moment it left Alford’s hand, it was clear the shot was off. So clear, that SMU center Yanick Moreira snatched the ball out of the air before it struck the rim. The controversial goaltending call that ensued gave the Bruins the lead, and eventually the win, allowing UCLA to extend its season and eventually reach the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Women’s basketball

April 4, 2015 – WNIT Championship – 62-60 win over West Virginia

After falling short in big games throughout the regular season, the UCLA women’s basketball team turned its season around, finishing the year on a six-game winning streak to take home the Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship trophy. It was the Bruins’ first postseason tournament championship since the 2006 Pac-10 tournament. Freshman guard Jordin Canada validated her Pac-12 Freshman of the Year selection with 31 points in the Bruins’ 62-60 win over West Virginia in the title match. UCLA’s invitation to the WNIT became an opportunity to redeem its season after going 0-11 against ranked teams and failing to handle second-half pressure. The No. 1 recruiting class in the nation matured under the leadership of veteran guards junior Nirra Fields and redshirt sophomore Kari Korver. With the team finally meshing, the Bruins left the WNIT with the first national-level trophy in program history.

Compiled by Conor Cusack and Annie Bardet, Bruin Sports reporters.

Women’s water polo

April 26, 2015 – MPSF Championship – 9-8 win over California

Heading into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship Tournament, the No. 2 seed women’s water polo team was looking to find its early-season dominance and claim an MPSF Championship title. After losing to Stanford just two weeks earlier, UCLA entered the tournament aiming to reestablish its No. 1 ranking. That was exactly what the Bruins did. UCLA was able to pull off two critical wins in the semifinal against USC and in the final against California, earning its third conference championship since 2010. The Bruins, however, couldn’t add an NCAA title in their 2015 season, losing to Stanford in the national championship game just two weeks later.

Compiled by Savannah Shapiro, Bruin Sports reporter.

Women’s golf

May 9, 2015 – NCAA regional championship – Second place

The women’s golf team struggled through the month of April with a ninth-place finish at the PING/ASU Invitational and a fourth-place finish at the Pac­-12 championship. The Bruins were feeling the absence of Alison Lee­­, the No. 1 player in 2014­­, as they got closer to the postseason. According to coach Carrie Forsyth, more mental toughness was needed moving forward. Forsyth got her wish. The women bounced back and placed second at the NCAA regionals. Sophomore Bronte Law added another solid showing to her resume with a second-place finish as an individual and freshman Lydia Choi posted her breakout performance of the season, finishing in fifth. In a year of obstacles, the women showed their mettle, coming three strokes short of first place.

Compiled by Alexander Hyun, Bruin Sports reporter.

Men’s tennis

May 14, 2015 – NCAA Third Round – 4-3 loss to Oklahoma

After falling behind 3-0 to No. 1 Oklahoma in the NCAA round of 16, the men’s tennis team rallied back to tie it up at 3-3 with one match left undecided. At No. 6 singles, sophomore Joseph Di Giulio had a chance to spring the upset. But Di Giulio faltered in the third set, ending UCLA’s season and marking just the second time in coach Billy Martin’s 22-year career that his team did not reach the quarterfinals. It was a trying year for the Bruins, whose 17 wins were their lowest total since 1988. UCLA was dealt a heavy blow last June, as reigning NCAA singles champion Marcos Giron decided to forego his final year of eligibility to play on the ATP tour, leaving behind a young team with just two upperclassmen in the starting lineup. Sophomore Mackenzie McDonald, the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, stepped up, finishing No. 3 in the final singles rankings and compiling a 15-1 record at No. 1 singles that included a straight-set victory over No. 1-ranked Axel Alvarez.

Compiled by Matt Cummings and Korbin Placet, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Baseball

May 15, 2015 – Regular season – 1-0 win over Arizona

The 2015 UCLA baseball team will always be able to say it did something that no other UCLA baseball team had done before, and no UCLA baseball team will do again: pitch the first no-hitter in program history. But it wasn’t the traditional no-hitter where one pitcher goes nine innings without allowing a hit or a run. Well, it kind of was, as UCLA junior pitcher James Kaprielian did just that – nine innings with no runs or hits allowed. The only problem: UCLA’s offense hadn’t scored a run yet. Kaprielian stepped back from the game, and senior closer David Berg came in for the 10th inning. Berg kept the no-hitter alive, recording three straight outs. In the bottom of the 10th, UCLA finally put up a run, and history was made.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Softball

May 28, 2015 – Women’s College World Series – 7-1 win over Oregon

UCLA softball had never seen a drought like the one that occurred from 2011-2014. During that four-season span, the Bruins didn’t make it to the Women’s College World Series once. That marked the longest period in school history that the team had gone without a national title, let alone a world series appearance. The 2015 UCLA softball team ended that drought, sweeping No. 10 seed Missouri in the NCAA Super Regional to earn a spot in the Women’s College World Series. When the Bruins got to the Women’s College World Series, they defeated a team that had been a perennial thorn in their side during that four-year drought: the Oregon Ducks. UCLA senior pitcher Ally Carda stifled Oregon’s standout offense, which entered the game with the No. 2 batting average in the country, and the Bruins went on to rout the Ducks, 7-1.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Track and field

May 30, 2015 – NCAA Division I West Preliminary Championships – 13 athletes advance to championships

Back in May 2011, UCLA track and field only had four athletes who qualified for the NCAA outdoor track and field championship meet in Des Moines, Ia. One of those qualifiers was freshman thrower Alec Faldermeyer. Since then, Faldermeyer has helped spark an upward trend in the Bruin track and field program. In 2012, UCLA’s number of NCAA championship qualifiers increased from four to six, Faldermeyer included. In 2013, that number increased from six to 10, with Faldermeyer qualifying once again. Now as a redshirt senior in 2015, Faldermeyer will be joined by 12 other Bruins who qualified for the NCAA outdoor championship meet, which begins in Eugene, Ore. on Wednesday.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.