Friday night, Nov. 14, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, the UCLA women’s volleyball (14-10, 8-6 Big Ten) team fell to No. 1 Nebraska women’s volleyball (24-0, 14-0 Big Ten). The Bruins put in all their might after a win against Northwestern last Saturday, Nov. 8. UCLA pushed through a game of fast intensity.
The first set began with UCLA in full heat. Seconds into the game UCLA’s outside hitter #9 Cheridyn Leverette scored the first point for the Bruins with a sharp kill. Defensive specialist/libero #30 Lola Schumacher fast serving performance. Through attempts to take possession of the ball Nebraska gained their first attack error. The intensity picked up swiftly with well maintained blocks from Nebraska. Diving to the end of the first set, Nebraska grew sharp with their kills leaving the Bruins short to save the ball. UCLA ended the set with a total score of 17-25.
Matching the same fire into the second set, Schumacher dove straight to the edge of the court to save the ball from an attack from Nebraska. Bruins moved in quick motions saving the ball with dives and blocks. Nebraska responded with strong kills full of speed leading them to meet the Bruins with a tie in the score. UCLA’s outside hitter #8 Maggie Li came in strong with fast kills and serves helping the Bruins reach a score of 23-25.
Nebraska continued the third set with fire, scoring the first three points. UCLA maintained a steady speed with quick responses. UCLA’s middle blocker #11 Marianna Singletary raised the crowd’s excitement with her kill, hitting the edge of the right side of the court. Shots were firing back and forth between both UCLA and Nebraska causing the score switch back and forth. In pursuit, Leverette hit four kills in a row quickly bringing the score up to, 25-19 for the Bruins.
The Bruins maintained their resilience entering the final set. Singletary fired with a kill with assist from UCLA’s setter #3 Kate Duffey. The Bruins were kept on the toes in attempts to pass by Nebraska in points. The set ended at 15-25 with the Bruins now (14-11, 8-7 Big Ten) falling to the No. 1 Nebraska women’s volleyball team (25-0, 15-0 Big Ten).
The Bruins pushed through tough responses and team strategies that fueled their fire to keep pushing towards the end of the game. In high hopes, the UCLA women’s volleyball team plans to return stronger against Rutgers this upcoming Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.
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Featured Image Photographed by Janwayne Orme/BruinLife
