The Ducks have flocked to the Pac-12 leaderboard and are now flying into Westwood.
On the heels of a home-opening loss, UCLA women’s volleyball (8-3, 0-1 Pac-12) will attempt to defend Pauley Pavilion from No. 3 Oregon (11-1, 1-0 Pac-12) on Sunday afternoon.
Propelling Oregon’s record are Pac-12 Players of the Week outside hitter Mimi Colyer and middle blocker Karson Bacon, awarded for their offensive and defensive performances, respectively, during the week of Aug. 28.
A strong defensive showing from the Bruins will be necessary to counter Colyer, who currently boasts the second-highest kills and kills per set counts of the conference after Trojan outside hitter Skylar Fields, whom the Bruins have already faced. Though Fields notched two more kills than senior opposite/outside hitter Iman Ndiaye, the latter had the Trojan beat in digs and block assists, reporting less errors overall.
UCLA has exhibited the defensive aptitude that will be critical to put brakes on Colyer. While Oregon’s middle blocker Kara McGhee currently ranks third in Pac-12 standings for blocks per set, UCLA leads the conference in total team blocks with 127 this season – a spot ahead of Oregon’s 122.
Ndiaye has proved to be a double threat by notching her first two career double-doubles in back-to-back contests, most recently with a 16-kill, 12-dig showing against USC. Though the Bruins fell in the contest’s fifth set, Ndiaye said the tight loss was only stronger motivation to play harder against the team’s second Pac-12 foe of the season.
“We’re definitely going to be hungry to go in,” Ndiaye said. “It’s also time to move in, get better and make adjustments.”
Graduate student middle blocker Desiree Becker, who notched a career-high 12 kills in the matchup of crosstown rivals, currently leads the Bruins in blocks ahead of redshirt senior middle blocker Anna Dodson.
Looking ahead after the team’s most recent competition, Becker said using communication to mix up strategy will continue to be successful.
“I think the scouting and preparation for teams moving on – obviously both sides are going to adjust,” Becker said. “But we did a good job of adjusting quickly.”
The individual records of the Bruins thus far may showcase a deep roster, but associate head coach Jen Malcom said maintaining a malleable playbook is one of the squad’s greatest skills.
“Our girls are great at taking the adjustments that we get from our coaching staff and the game plan that they come up with of just going and running with it,” Malcom said. “This is what we need to do to go win these games.”
UCLA is facing the prospect of snapping not only Oregon’s current five-game winning streak, but also its three-game winning streak derived from this particular matchup, originating in 2021 during Oregon’s sweep of UCLA.
And though the squad is just breaking the surface of season, the Bruins’ bonds have roots – Ndiaye said the on-court communication will continue to be integral for the squad to bring home a win.
“As we keep going deeper into the season, we’re connecting a lot better, and that goes for every skill,” Ndiaye said. “That’s all we can ask for, honestly – to just keep making small upgrades in all areas of the game.”
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