In the epitome of a back and forth game, UCLA women’s volleyball (16-11, 10-7 Big Ten) prevailed Thursday night in a tight contest over Illinois (13-13, 8-9 Big Ten) at Pauley Pavilion. Despite falling behind 1-0 and 2-1 in sets, the Bruins stuck around long enough to take the match in a decisive 5th set. Thursday’s win also marked UCLA’s final home game of the season before they embark on a three game road trip to conclude the season.
The Bruins narrowly trailed for the majority of an extended first set before falling 27-25. Despite four kills each from senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette and junior outside hitter Maggie Li, the Bruins squandered a myriad of opportunities, committing 12 attacking errors and hitting a mere .077.
Sophomore libero Lola Schumacher started the second set with an ace, setting the tone for an eventual 25-21 UCLA victory. Schumacher, who had a season high with 27 digs in the match, led a night of defensive bests for the Bruins, as Li would set her own season high in digs with 15. A revived UCLA attack hit .304 on the way to tying the match 1-1.
The Fighting Illini jumped to a 5-1 lead to begin the third set, which proved a large enough cushion for a 25-22 win for Illinois. UCLA again kept the set close, but were sunk by instances of miscommunication and a once again inefficient attack. Leverette, while up to 11 kills, was hitting only .071 after three sets, while graduate middle blocker Phekran Kong was hitting -.125, albeit playing her third game back from injury.
UCLA coach Alfee Reft made a big adjustment in the fourth set, swapping setter duties from sophomore Kate Duffey to graduate student Zayna Meyer. The change would prove crucial, as Meyer’s contributions resulted in UCLA clinching the final two sets. Redshirt junior middle blocker Marianna Singletary scored a block for the first point of the set, and would eventually set a season high with 10 blocks. Leverette’s potency shone through, as the senior logged seven kills, including a set-clinching ace, to secure a 25-17 Bruin victory that tied the match once again.
Despite two early errors in the 5th set that left UCLA in a 4-2 hole, the Bruins stormed back, winning the match and the set by a score of 15-12. The final kill was delivered by Li, who had been the target of Illinois’ serves all night.
The Bruins will begin their final road trip on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Washington in Seattle.
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Featured Image Photographed by Sapna Drew/BruinLife
