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Women’s volleyball readies to return home for matchups with ranked Pac-12 foes

UCLA women’s volleyball junior outside hitter Jenny Mosser recorded a season-high four aces against Oregon last weekend. The Bruins will face off with two ranked opponents this week, including last season’s national champions. (Axel Lopez/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Women's Volleyball


No. 2 Stanford
Friday, 7 p.m.

Pauley Pavilion
ESPNU
No. 15 California
Sunday, 12 p.m.

Pauley Pavilion
UCLA Live Stream

By Coral Smith

Oct. 25, 2019 1:12 a.m.

The Bruins will host two ranked teams, including the reigning national champions, this weekend.

UCLA women’s volleyball (10-7, 5-3 Pac-12) will welcome the 2018 national champion No. 2 Stanford (13-3, 7-1) first on Friday night, and then will face off with No. 15 California (17-1, 7-1) on Sunday.

The Bruins are 2-2 versus ranked Pac-12 teams this season, as they lost to both then-No. 8 Washington on Oct. 6 and then-No. 18 Utah on Oct. 11. But before that, UCLA had taken down then-No. 25 USC and then-No. 24 Washington State.

Both of the Bruins’ upsets came at home, and UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion for its next two games after spending the last two weekends on the road. Junior outside hitter Jenny Mosser said playing on their home court could give the Bruins an edge in matches against highly ranked teams.

“It’s nice to feel the energy from the crowd,” Mosser said. “It kind of gets you motivated, gets you excited. It’s nice to be back home again, and just show everybody what we’ve been working on, and it’s just nice to be back in Pauley on our home court.”

The Cardinal have lost only three matches this season, and all three have been to teams ranked No. 12 or higher.

Just four days after suffering its first loss of the season to No. 8 Minnesota on Sept. 14, then-No. 2 Stanford upset then-No. 1 Nebraska in four sets. The Cardinal are currently on a six-game winning streak in conference play, with their only Pac-12 loss coming against Washington on Sept. 29.

Stanford outside hitter Kathryn Plummer leads the Pac-12 in kills per set with 5.18 – just in front of UCLA junior outside hitter Mac May, who averages 4.70 kills per set – but has not played in any of Stanford’s last six games after suffering an injury.

The Bruins will also see a familiar face across the net in graduate middle blocker Madeleine Gates, who transferred to Stanford from UCLA at the end of the 2018 season. Gates has contributed for the Cardinal on offense and defense, leading the team in blocks per set and hitting percentage.

“(Gates) is a really good player,” said redshirt sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Smith. “We know she’s a big offensive threat, as well as a really good blocker. I guess we know a little bit more about her than your average middle across the net, but we’re just going to have to play her as hard as anyone else.”

UCLA’s other opponent this weekend, California, has suffered only one loss on the season – a four-set loss to Stanford on Sept. 26. Since then, the Golden Bears have gone undefeated, riding a seven-game winning streak into the weekend.

California swept four of its opponents in that span, and defeated Washington State, Colorado and then-No. 18 Utah in five sets in its three other games.

Three Golden Bears rank in the top-five Pac-12 players for hitting percentage, and California is third in the conference in team kills per set with 13.52, just behind Stanford and UCLA.

Mosser said the high offensive output from both of the Bruins’ opponents signifies how deep the teams’ offenses are, something that UCLA needs to take into account and adjust to.

“It means that you need to take all of their hitters seriously; you can’t just be like, ‘Oh, that person over there, you don’t need to focus on them as much because they’re not going to hurt us,'” Mosser said. “Every one of their hitters can hurt you, you’ve got to ready to defend everyone, you’ve got to respect everyone and what they can do.”

Coach Michael Sealy said another thing that makes Stanford and California so dangerous is their consistency, which UCLA needs to match in order to win this weekend.

“They’re both very consistent in what they do, so they’re not as erratic,” Sealy said. “So even if they’re off, their systems don’t fall apart. When we get in trouble, and get loose, it’s when we’re not making the easy plays, that’s when we’ve had technical breakdowns.”

Friday’s match will begin at 7 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion, and Sunday’s will start at 12 p.m.

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Coral Smith | Sports senior staff
Smith is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the gymnastics and softball beats. She was previously an assistant Sports editor for the softball, gymnastics, women's volleyball, swim & dive and rowing beats. Smith was previously a staff writer on the softball, women's volleyball, rowing and swim & dive beats.
Smith is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the gymnastics and softball beats. She was previously an assistant Sports editor for the softball, gymnastics, women's volleyball, swim & dive and rowing beats. Smith was previously a staff writer on the softball, women's volleyball, rowing and swim & dive beats.
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