After Wednesday win over USC, women’s volleyball laces up for Arizona State match

The Bruins have a chance to build on their momentum from Wednesday’s upset.

“It’s a Sunday game, so less crowd, less hype, less rivalry, but we just have to have the mindset that we’re going to come back and play like we did (against USC),” said senior outside hitter Savvy Simo.

UCLA women’s volleyball (6-4, 1-0 Pac-12) will face Arizona State (9-3, 1-0) at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins’ next challenge will come from Arizona State, which is coming into the game with a winning record, but has played only one ranked opponent this season: then-No. 24 Louisville, to which the Sun Devils fell in four sets.

UCLA defeated Arizona State in both of the meetings between the teams in 2018. The Sun Devils were swept when they came to Pauley Pavilion and could only muster up a first-set win at home before the Bruins took the next three sets for a 3-1 win in Tempe later in the season. Arizona hasn’t won in a matchup with UCLA since 2014, as the Bruins have won the last eight contests.

Despite the Bruins historically doing well against the Sun Devils, Simo said they know the team has to approach the match with just as much ferocity as it did against the Trojans in their last game.

This will be the second game for the Bruins at home after they played their entire nonconference schedule on the road. Senior setter Cali Thompson said having a large home crowd can keep the team hyped during big matches, even though the players try to ignore the distractions created by crowd noise.

“I 100% think there’s an advantage,” Thompson said. “You don’t want to listen to the noise, but it’s also so encouraging to have so many people on your side. … It’s always awesome to hear.”

UCLA is coming off a five-set upset over conference rival then-No. 25 USC, in which the Bruins came back from one set down to take the victory. This was the first win for UCLA in which it has had to come from behind after dropping the first set since every previous victory had been a sweep.

“It’s more about the way the team’s progressing since last year,” Simo said. “I think the culture’s really improving and the coaching staff and players are all on the same page, and to see us fight like we did (against USC) is incredible.”

The match against USC was also Thompson’s second appearance of the season after sitting out for the past eight games. In the first game of the season versus Baylor, Thompson sprained her ankle just a few points into the match, taking her out for the next three weeks.

Thompson was expected to be a major player in the Bruins’ starting lineup after transferring from Portland, but with her injury, coach Michael Sealy said he had to adjust the entire offensive system. In lieu of playing one setter as Thompson’s replacement, Sealy utilized a two-setter offense with sophomores Devon Chang and Hawley Harrer both playing.

“(Thompson) came to us in the spring, and everything was about running a precision offense,” Sealy said. “When she went down, (Chang and Harrer) did a great job of keeping us in matches and winning matches. But (Thompson) has got more experience, she’s a little more fine-tuned in what she does.”

UCLA utilized both setter formations in the victory over USC, something that Sealy said he expects to continue throughout the season because of the different advantages of using a one- or two-setter offense.

“I think it’s great for the team. (Chang and Harrer) did a fantastic job coming in and hitting and setting for the team,” Thompson said. “I think if it takes that little adjustment to win, then I’m all for it.”

The match versus Arizona State will start Sunday at noon in Pauley Pavilion.