Conference play is creeping closer, and the road isn’t getting any easier.

UCLA women’s volleyball (6-2) took down Utah State (0-7) in straight sets Sept. 9 before falling to No. 25 BYU (5-1) in a five-set thriller on Friday. The Bruins then rebounded with a 3-1 win over former Pac-12 rival Utah (5-3) on Sunday.

Fifth-year middle blocker Marianna Singletary was a dependable presence for the Bruins across all three matches. The Charleston, South Carolina, local recorded eight kills and five blocks to kick off the three-game trip against Utah State.

And she wasn’t the only middle that made a big impact against the Aggies.

Freshman Brooke Harwood hit at a .474 clip with 11 kills and four blocks, continuing to bolster runs while simultaneously helping the Bruins regain control when needed. Sophomore outside hitters Ava Utterback and Eliana Urzua both reached seven kills, with Urzua tagging on four blocks as well.

“I’m super proud of how she’s (Harwood) carried herself,” Singletary said. “She embodies what it means to be a Bruin, especially coming in as a freshman. We have a really great relationship off the court, and that helps keep us locked in when we’re in game mode.”

Junior libero Lola Schumacher and freshman setter Vivian Hickman held it down in the backcourt, with Schumacher leading the team with 10 digs. Hickman tallied five digs, but made sure her presence was felt, helping spearhead an early 7-0 lead with her service pressure.

But the Bruins felt the pressure in the next match. BYU proved to be a challenge for the UCLA squad, ultimately ending the Bruins’ three-game winning streak after five sets.

While the team hit at a season-low .156 clip, Singletary recorded 16 kills at a rate of .556 and added nine of the team’s 14 total blocks – four of which came in the fourth set to help the Bruins push the game to five.

“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted, and I’m grateful to be able to perform and kind of carry that load for my team,” the Charleston, South Carolina, local said. “Staying together as a team, it gives me a lot of confidence, with my team having my back. So I feel free to go out there and do my thing.”

The teams traded points in the beginning of the match before a tough BYU block created distance and helped the Cougars take the first set 25-15. The Bruins rebounded, responding with Singletary’s strength in the middle and junior setter Ava Sarafa’s serving abilities. Taking notes from the first set, the Bruins put up a big block to help take the second 25-22.

Sarafa, alongside junior setter Kate Duffey – who helped run the 6-2 – tallied 39 of the Bruins’ 52 total assists throughout the match. Harwood and Urzua both contributed from the front row with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, while Schumacher recorded a season-high 19 digs with a pair of aces.

“She’s (Schumacher) a baller,” Duffey said. “Big digs are one of the biggest momentum plays you can have, and Lola definitely leads a charge on that. It’s something that we carry with us throughout different games and helps us take away wins.”

A deep hole – 6-1 in favor of the Cougars – ultimately proved too difficult for the Bruins to climb out of. While they scraped together a handful of kills and side-outs, they lost the third 25-17. Not to be counted out, UCLA leaned on Singletary and Urzua for a quick lead, which they retained. On a BYU error, UCLA closed out the fourth 25-20 to push the game.

The beginning of the final frame was a point-for-point battle, but the Bruins lost steam at a 6-6 standstill, allowing the Cougars to pull ahead 10-6 and eventually close out the match 15-10.

“The big takeaway is how they sustained a pretty high level of play for three matches,” said coach Matt Werle. “We’ve been preaching a lot about consistency and trying to do some things night in and night out, and I thought they handled themselves really well through the three matches and progressively got better as the week went on.”

Not to be deterred, UCLA rebounded in its match against Utah. And this time the defense was key – the Bruins out-dug their opponent 55-41.

Schumacher spearheaded the backcourt efforts with 17 digs as well as an ace in the first set. In the front row, senior outside hitter Maggie Li returned from injury to match Schumacher’s effort, recording 17 kills, eight digs and helping seal the deal for the Bruins in the fourth set.

Singletary once again reached double-digit kills, tallying 11 on a .476 clip while sophomore opposite Mija Bendziute recorded 13 kills alongside a pair of aces and blocks. Duffey, who commanded the offense all game, had 14 digs across the night to go with her 42 assists.

“It’s exciting to see where our team’s going,” Duffey said. “We’ve been building a lot, and those were all pretty good teams, so it’s fun.”