UCLA d. Penn State 30-11, 30-28, 30-18
UCLA d. Penn 30-26, 30-25, 30-23> Â
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Russ Rose has
seen the likes of UCLA and Kristee Porter before. Last year, the
senior outside hitter tallied 30 kills to lead the Bruins to a
five-game victory over his the Nittany Lions.
Porter went off again on Penn State Saturday night in only her
second match back from an “extra benefits” suspension.
She posted a match-high 19 kills. She posted a .371 hitting
percentage. She played like an All-American.
You know, the usual.
Rose probably saw that coming. He knew what he was up against.
But Rose also expected his team to at least put up a fight on its
home floor.
Instead, UCLA buried Penn State in the second round of the NCAA
Tournament with a 30-11, 30-28, 30-18 sweep in State College, Pa.
UCLA (20-8) advances to the Sweet Sixteen to face Hawai’i
this week in Long Beach.
“This game was just an example of how the season has gone
““ up and down,” Rose said in the post-game press
conference. “I’m disappointed for the seniors, and
I’m not satisfied with the level we should have been
at.”
Rose had every reason to be disappointed in his team’s
play. The Nittany Lions, ranked 16th in the nation, were held to a
shocking .050 hitting clip for the match. UCLA, meanwhile, hit
.238. The Bruins out-blocked (11-6) and out-dug (57-43) the Lions
as well. Penn State was simply overwhelmed.
The Lions (22-8) suffered their first-ever home loss in the NCAA
Tournament. They had been 24-0 at Rec Hall, sweeping their
opponents in 22 of those wins.
So what happened?
“I didn’t do a good job of getting the team ready to
play,” Rose said.
Apparently, UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski did.
“We came up with an outstanding performance,” he
said. “We were intense all the way through, and we
didn’t allow Penn State to show their true
abilities.”
“It’s a huge game of momentum, and it was on our
side the whole game,” added Bruin senior outside hitter
Ashley Bowles, who had 11 kills, 11 digs and five
blocks. “We played outstanding the whole time, and it
kept us going throughout the match.”
Junior outside hitter Lauren Fendrick added nine kills to go
along with 11 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Stacey Lee
served a match-high three aces, including the ace that closed out
the Lions. UCLA was simply dominant.
“I’m disappointed on how we played, but I’m
not disappointed on losing to a program like UCLA,” Rose
said.
The Bruins had swept Penn (18-7) in the first round of the
tournament on Friday 30-26, 30-25, 30-23 to advance to play Penn
State. Porter again led UCLA, posting match-highs of 17 kills and
17 digs. Bowles and Fendrick notched 12 kills apiece.