Consistency is built game by game.

And the Bruins are looking to find consistency once more.

No. 8 UCLA softball (34-5, 13-2 Big Ten) will face Illinois (11-28, 2-9) at Eichelberger Field in a Friday-through-Sunday series. The Westwood squad, which boasted a 22-game winning streak earlier this season, now has the opportunity to extend its current streak after defeating Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday.

The Bruins did not drop a single game from Feb. 15 to March 27. But when UCLA faced then-No. 6 Nebraska, their streak snapped. Since then, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s squad has gone 5-0, taking down Hawai’i, Indiana and Cal State Fullerton.

Hitting has driven a lot of the squad’s success.

UCLA is batting at a .379 clip and has knocked out a program-record 116 home runs. Seniors infielder Jordan Woolery and utility Megan Grant, who are hitting at a .509 and .495, respectively, and have recorded 47 combined homers, lead the offensive charge. UCLA has recorded 12 four-baggers from eight different players in the past five games alone.

“Trying to get as many people as we can on the bases to be able to get that big hit to come through is important,” Woolery said. “Not focusing too much on the other team, but just focusing on what we’re trying to do at the plate too.”

But the Bruins are not one dimensional.

Redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia, who knocked in two of the squad’s last 12 home runs, was named Defender of the Week by Softball America after her performances against Hawai’i and Indiana. Garcia leads the squad in defensive assists, having racking up 70 throughout the season.

And while the Bruins’ defense was put to the test against the Titans, they stepped up and delivered when it mattered the most. After allowing six runs in the first inning, the squad buckled down and allowed just five for the last six innings.

But UCLA has struggled with pitching depth, relying heavily on Taylor Tinsley. The senior boasts a 2.60 ERA and has a 19-3 record, tied for the third-most victories in the country.

However the rest of the staff has struggled.

Freshman pitcher/utility Natalie Cable follows Tinsley with a 6.31 ERA across 17 appearances, and sophomore pitcher Brynne Nally has posted a 6.45 ERA in 16 appearances. As a result, the defense has had to step up.

“Being able to always have our pitchers’ back, trying to get it done as much as we can and get back into the dugout to hit,” said sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg.

But the squad may stifle Illinois, which is 1-10 at home.

Illinois has struggled throughout the Big Ten season, recording its two conference wins against Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively. The Bruins swept the Spartans, run-ruling them in all three games, but the Fighting Illini were not as successful.

The Fighting Illini and the Spartans split their pair of matchups, with the latter shutting out the former 7-0. Illinois countered with a 12-6 victory in the second game.

Illinois’ inconsistency may give UCLA an opening to continue rebuilding the consistency it has mounted since the Nebraska series loss.

“(We’re looking to) take the last two innings into this weekend as we go to Illinois and get that series started,” Woolery said. “It’s important to learn from the bad and just take the good and keep it rolling.”