UCLA women’s volleyball beats Oregon with record-tying number of digs

This post was updated Oct. 24 at 4:20 p.m.

The Bruins celebrated their Alumnae Night with a sweep.

No. 17 UCLA women’s volleyball (15-3, 8-2 Pac-12) defeated No. 16 Oregon (14-5, 5-4) in straight sets Friday night in Pauley Pavilion to remain atop the Pac-12 standings.

On a night in which the Bruins honored their 2011 National Championship team, senior outside hitter/opposite ​​élan McCall tied the school record of 28 digs in a three-set match, a feat only achieved previously by Lainey Gera – a member of the 2011 team who was in attendance Friday.

“(McCall is) incredible,” said coach Michael Sealy. “Her ability to read the game, her athleticism to be able to pick up balls – she makes a huge difference whenever she’s in there.”

UCLA took the first four points of the opening set and never fell behind in the opening frame, winning 25-20. Freshman outside hitter/opposite Charitie Luper accounted for 10 of her 16 total kills in the first set, along with three of her 12 digs.

Trailing 14-11 in the second set, senior defensive specialist/libero Kelsey Campeau served seven consecutive balls as the Bruins streaked to a 17-14 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish.

Sealy said the team’s patience while behind was key to the comeback in the second set.

“You’ve got to be focused but patient too,” Sealy said. “We gave up some plays, got down pretty early in that set, and we just had to be patient enough to stay with it and hope our points are going to come.”

UCLA led 19-14 in the third set before Oregon rattled off a 5-0 run featuring four Bruin errors, eventually taking a 21-20 advantage. Four kills from graduate outside hitter/opposite Mac May, who led the Bruins with 24 kills, helped retake the lead and end the match in favor of UCLA.

“(It was) a little scary in the third set, almost not having a sweep,” Sealy said. “I thought we let them back in, made a lot of errors on our side in a row, so we’ve got to stop doing that. That’s what happened against Arizona State – (the) same situation of not taking care of the ball, and now you lose a set, and the match changes momentum.”

[Related: Gallery: UCLA women’s volleyball upsets Oregon in homecoming weekend matchup]

Defensively, the Bruins adjusted to a tip-heavy offense from the Ducks, something they saw a lot of in their previous match against Arizona State, according to Sealy.

On McCall’s record-tying night, she said her previous experience at outside helped her understand the opponent’s offensive tendencies.

“I’ve played outside before, so I know a hitter’s tendencies,” McCall said. “As a defender, it helped me read those tip situations.”

Luper said the team prioritized its response to out-of-system situations.

“(Hustle) is what we talk about the most,” Luper said. “We don’t like to let a lot of easy balls drop. We go all out, a hundred percent (and) we don’t give them any easy points.”

For McCall, the senior said winning with the 2011 team in attendance was momentous.

“This was special,” McCall said. “We wanted to get a win for them because they deserve it. They’re here, celebrating themselves and us.”

The Bruins’ next match will be against Oregon State on Sunday.