This post was updated Oct. 19 at 11:36 p.m.
The Bruins strike a balance in contributions from newcomers and veterans compared to their upcoming opponents.
Following a win and a loss in the Bay Area, UCLA women’s volleyball (10-8, 2-6 Pac-12) will face Washington (13-6, 4-4) and No. 4 Washington State (17-2, 7-1) back home in Pauley Pavilion with another chance to turn around a losing conference record.
Washington’s strength resides in its underclassmen, boasting a leaderboard free of senior players. In fact, this week marked the first time in nine years that a Husky brought a second consecutive Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award to Seattle, courtesy of outside hitter Kierstyn Barton.
Considering the Huskies’ three-game winning streak, senior opposite/outside hitter Iman Ndiaye said the Bruins are looking to commence their upcoming contests with more aggressiveness.
“Moving forward, we can just start off a lot stronger than we have in the first few matches of conference play,” Ndiaye said. “So I think we’ll be carrying our momentum into next week and keep building on the skills that we’ve been working on.”
On the contrary, Washington State’s scale tips in favor of its veterans, with the seniors and graduate students ruling the kill, dig, block and assist charts. Notably, fifth-year Magda Jehlárová etched her name into the history books in early October with her 10th career Pac-12 Weekly Honor – the most of any player in the conference.
Ndiaye said she has been training to compete with players of this caliber.
“First and foremost, my job is to just be really good at offense and creating points with my swings,” Ndiaye said. “The part that we really work on and I pursued was defense, so that I can get my defense where my attacking is.”
Ultimately, UCLA’s overall category leaderboards showcase a balance of returners and new players, with freshman setter Ashley Mullen leading in assists and Ndiaye – the veteran – commanding the kill chart. That being said, the setter falls 326 assists behind her Washington State counterpart.
Cementing the pillar of the age range, graduate student Desiree Becker may not best Jehlárová’s blocks – falling behind by two – but the middle blocker’s 86 surpass Washington’s defensive stalwart, Elise Hani.
Becker said the team’s experience with make-or-break points has contributed to her automatic strategy.
“It’s just a more aggressive mindset and a more fiery mentality,” Becker said.
Washington State’s top-five ranking has exemplified itself in a sweep of Washington nearly a month ago. This will be UCLA’s second contest against a team of such standing, after its most recent loss to No. 3 Stanford. Both of the Bruins’ upcoming opponents were recently downed by the Cardinal as well, with all three teams leaving with just one set in their pockets.
Coach Alfee Reft said the Bruins are continually learning from their matches to add to their strategy, but not to change it.
“We get home and go to work,” Reft said. “This game plan hasn’t changed for us. We get two days of training and add some pieces to our game – and then we get to compete again.”
The Huskies and Cougars will migrate to Westwood to face the Bruins on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at noon, respectively.
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