MIKE CHIEN Senior outside hitter Ashley Bowles,
who had a team high 14 kills, digs the ball during UCLA’s loss to
Pepperdine on Tuesday night. Pepperdine d. UCLA
30-25, 30-25,34-32
By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
This one might hurt the most.
In what the No. 8 Bruins (11-6) hoped would be a turning point
after a string of frustrating losses, the result against No. 13
Pepperdine (16-3) turned out to just be more of the same.
After a three-game loss at Pepperdine, with scores of 25-30,
25-30 and 32-34, the Bruins now face the question of how to
recapture their early-season momentum.
“We have a lot to work on,” senior setter Erika
Selsor said. “What happened here tonight is
disappointing.”
Finishing at a .225 hitting clip overall, the Bruins were not
able to establish a consistent offensive rhythm, due mostly to
passing woes.
The Waves’ unrelenting attack from Brie Harris and Katie
Wilkins didn’t help the Bruins’ cause.
“When Pepperdine plays that well, it (takes) us out of our
game,” senior outside hitter Ashley Bowles said. “We
caught momentum at times, but we didn’t capitalize at key
points.
And without a strong block, the Bruins were unable to take some
of the sting out of the Waves’ hitting, making it more
difficult for the UCLA back-row to pick up digs.
“We didn’t block as well as we needed to,”
UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski said. “(Pepperdine) played
great. It’s hard to beat a a team that out-digs, out-blocks
and out-hits you.”
The match opened with an evenly played game one. The two teams
stayed within one point and tied at 22, whereupon Pepperdine pulled
away when Wilkins slammed down a Bruin over-pass. The Waves then
went on an 8-3 run to close out the first game at 30-25.
The Bruins kept it close again in game two, staying within one
until Pepperdine rattled off six straight points bringing the score
to 24-18. Even when Pepperdine had reached 27, it could have been
anyone’s game.
After freshman Bruin outside hitter Heather Cullen capped a long
rally with a cross-court kill, the Bruins seemed poised for a
comeback, but on the ensuing point Pepperdine’s Melissa Snow
hammered one home again, turning the tide in favor of the
Waves.
“Pepperdine played really well and we didn’t fight
as hard as I know we can,” Selsor said. “They passed
well, ran their offense and put balls down.”
From the start of game three, the Bruins seemed to be in
control. UCLA maintained the lead until Pepperdine came back to tie
the score at 10.
UCLA fought tooth and nail behind hard-hitting from Bowles and
junior Lauren Fendrick to get to game point, but did not capitalize
once they got there.
The Waves rallied behind Harris and Wilkins to close out the
game and match at 34-32.
“We started to play better in the third game and were
settling into a groove,” Banachowski said, “and I
wished we could have kept playing, but we made some critical errors
at the end when we had the opportunity to put it away.”