Women’s volleyball sweeps Utes for second time this season
Reily Buechler tied for the team lead in kills Saturday with 17. The junior outside hitter only committed two errors and finished with a hitting percentage of .395 (Shelby Scoggins/Daily Bruin)
By Nicholas Yekikian
Oct. 30, 2016 5:24 p.m.
UCLA women’s volleyball had already swept Utah on the road, but after a five-set match Friday night, coach Michael Sealy wasn’t going to take Saturday’s match lightly.
“This was potentially the most challenging game after a really tough match yesterday,” Sealy said. “It was going to be harder to focus.”
The No. 21 Utes (16-7, 7-5 Pac-12) came into Pauley Pavilion with a 6-1 road record, but fell to the No. 12 Bruins (18-4, 9-3 Pac-12) in straight sets again Saturday, for UCLA’s sixth straight win.
The first set was tied a total of 12 times, with no team taking a lead greater than one point until UCLA scored four unanswered points to take a 15-11 lead.
The Utes rallied back to tie the set at 23, but two consecutive kills by freshman opposite Torrey Van Winden closed out the set for the Bruins 25-23.
Van Winden would finish the match tied for the team lead in kills with 17 while committing just one error – good for a game high .471 hitting percentage.
[Related: Women’s volleyball picks up momentum with Van Winden back in play]
In set two, Utah battled its way to a 16-16 tie before committing three consecutive errors, giving life to a 9-1 UCLA run to finish the match 25-17.
Sealy substituted redshirt senior Haley Lawless in for sophomore Zana Muno for added size up front against Utah outside hitter Adora Anae, mirroring a move he made the night before.
“(Anae) was hitting .400 and just crushing balls,” Sealy said. “Haley’s probably our best right side blocker so it was an opportunity to just put a different block in front of her, make her earn it a little more.”
Anae hit .415 against UCLA throughout the entire match. Sealy’s defensive-minded application of Lawless worked overall, and Utah’s percentage plummeted from .191 in the first set to .071 in the second.
Following a set-three collapse the night before, the Bruins pulled out a 29-27 victory to give UCLA the sweep. Lawless came in midway in the third set to help with blocking again, and said the Bruins tried to maintain a “next ball” mentality and stay patient throughout the entire set.
“I think we got a little too relaxed, which seems to happen, like in yesterday’s game against Colorado.” senior outside hitter Jordan Anderson said. “We need to learn to just put our foot on the gas pedal then.”
[Related: Women’s volleyball comes back to win against Colorado in five sets]
With the score tied at 27, consecutive kills by Van Winden and Buechler gave UCLA the match.
After sweeping their four-game home stand, UCLA will head back on the road to face Arizona and Arizona State next weekend.
