This post was updated Oct. 17 at 9:26 p.m.
The pressure of facing one of the nation’s best would generally weigh a team down.
But Desiree Becker said that instead, the Bruins’ word of the day was “free.”
“That means something different for everyone in a lot of different ways,” said the graduate student middle blocker. “But a lot of it comes from just expectations, outcomes and playing freely.”
And with nothing left to prove, so began the battle.
UCLA women’s volleyball (10-8, 2-6 Pac-12) met No. 3 Stanford (15-2, 8-0) on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to continue its success in the Bay Area – but instead fell short 3-1. The loss came after the Bruins swept the Golden Bears in the first game of their trip up north, simultaneously breaking a three-game losing streak.
Following the redeeming sweep, the Bruins traveled to Palo Alto to face the nation’s third-best team. After a 3-0 scoring run to end a back-and-forth sequence, the first set was theirs – despite the fact that at that point, the Bruins trailed in nearly every statistic but blocks.
Becker stood atop the block leaderboard throughout the affair – ending with a total of eight, which she said is thanks to efficient defensive work during practice.
“Defensively, we’ve been working on simple moves,” Becker said. “At least for blocking, it’s really easy to overdo or complicate things and our moves that we make, so we’ve just been really breaking down the simplicity aspect of it and also a little bit more of a ‘go get it’ mentality.”
A Bruin comeback attempt in the second set shrank their seven-point deficit to just one. Sophomore outside hitter Carly Hendrickson held Stanford serving to two of four set points before the Bruins fell victim to a Stanford kill to finish the frame in the hands of the hosts.
As compared to 16 ties in the first set, the second frame only had nine – ending in a Stanford streak that, despite three lead changes, UCLA could not catch.
Senior outside/opposite hitter Iman Ndiaye said despite the Bruins’ attempts, the Cardinal responded effectively and stayed one step ahead.
“They’d been really good at adjustments to our defensive positions,” Ndiaye said. “I think they found what we were scouting against them and found new ways to score.”
The second frame’s back-and-forth nature would remain a matchlong trend, resulting in successful plays that Ndiaye said were rooted in UCLA’s resilience – especially against a team riding a 26-game conference win streak.
“It’s just fuel to go give everything you have. There was really nothing for us to lose,” Ndiaye said. “It’s just a moment where we can just be tough and see how far we can go.”
Stanford’s win margins widened in the final two sets, with the fourth decidedly culminating in its favor, 25-10. While Ndiaye was able to recover her lead in attacks, Stanford’s outside hitter Caitie Baird occupied the No. 1 spot in both kills and points, living up to her recent Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honor.
While coach Alfee Reft said the Cardinal’s teamwide talent marshaled it to victory, he added that the Bruins displayed their ability to match their opponents in skill and endurance.
“Two sets we’re right there, we’ve just got to be able to extend good play for longer periods of time,” Reft said. “I love the heart and, I think, the discipline of our team to be in it with a really good team, and I think we’re certainly on our way these next couple weeks to better volleyball.”
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