This post was updated Nov. 21 at 10:09 p.m.

Pauley Pavilion’s season finale stretched deep into a deciding fifth set.

And the Bruins made sure the last word belonged to the home team.

UCLA women’s volleyball (16-11, 10-7 Big Ten) closed out its home schedule with a five-set win over Illinois (13-13, 8-9) on Thursday night. The match marked the Bruins’ fourth five-set victory of the year and their final appearance in Westwood this season.

The defensive workload told the story of Thursday’s victory. The Bruins finished with 90 digs, posting their season high while holding Illinois to .183 hitting across the match. Sophomore libero Lola Schumacher matched her career best 27 digs, while two other Bruins reached double-digit figures in the category.

Coach Alfee Reft said defensive identity has been a priority.

“You have to have a championship-level defense,” Reft said. “They’ve been working really hard on the small things – discipline and reading – and we’re moving in the right direction.”

Reft called the match “weird” – and the numbers supported the description.

As the season has progressed, Reft’s hitters have developed their attacks to keep opposing defenses on their toes. UCLA’s offense swung between extremes, hitting below .160 in the first and third sets before climbing over .300 in the second and fourth.

And UCLA’s production grew as the pressure mounted.

Senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette led the Bruins with 20 kills, and junior outside hitter Maggie Li added 16 kills and 15 digs – marking her fourth straight double-double. Reft pointed to the pin scoring UCLA found late as the shift that carried them through the final two sets.

Another significant contributor emerged in the middle of the net. Redshirt junior middle blocker Marianna Singletary posted 14 kills and 10 blocks, her first double-double as a Bruin.

Singletary credited recent work in practice on expanding her offensive toolkit.

“It’s about giving myself more range and really seeing the block,” Singletary said. “We focus a lot on being available in transition and controlling what we can control on our side.”

The Bruins’ major adjustment came through the setter position. Graduate student setter Zayna Meyer entered partway through the match and remained until the final point, finishing with a double-double of her own including 24 assists and 13 digs.

The setter changed the match’s tempo – not just through distribution but court coverage. Multiple extended-rally saves kept points alive that later turned into kills for the Bruins.

“Floor defense is my favorite,” Meyer said. “Just trusting my read, that’s the fun part.”

UCLA also managed the final stretch from the service line more cleanly than in recent matches. The Bruins induced five service aces while producing pressure, including Meyer’s scoring run in the fifth set that gave the team its first lead of the frame.

Reft said those late serves reflected the composure that the team has been pushing to develop all season long.

“It’s gutsy,” Reft said. “Hitting your serve in those moments with courage – that’s what showed up tonight.”

The match extended UCLA’s strong home finish. The Bruins closed with a 6-4 mark in Westwood this year, and Thursday’s win marked the season’s 10th Big Ten win – an important number for postseason positioning as the conference rankings tighten.