This post was updated Oct. 27 at 12:03 a.m.
The Bruins are clearing a path to sweep the floor.
With half of the season underway, the countdown to a potential NCAA tournament bid has begun.
But Anna Dodson said even under this pressure, nothing can hold the Bruins back.
“If we continue to lift each other up and keep performing and executing at a high level, we’re going to be unstoppable,” the redshirt senior middle blocker said. “Especially going into the tournament, I think by the end of Pac-12, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
While coach Alfee Reft was absent for a number of games at the season’s start, he may soon bear witness to a hike in UCLA’s win tally. And as the team is entering the latter half of its Pac-12 season, it is set to exclusively meet teams it has already faced this season.
To duplicate its wins, sophomore outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette said UCLA can’t afford to underestimate its opponents.
“Going up against teams for a second time is great for us, but they’re also working just as hard,” Leverette said. “For us to be able to match that and excel higher can be a roadblock, but I think we’re really taking the time right now to prepare … so that we don’t run into those issues.”
UCLA’s last major home stretch transpired unfavorably for the hosts, setting up a saga of what could become redemptive wins against USC, Oregon and Utah. Since the Bruins’ future on the national stage relies heavily on their final 10 results, the squad will need to defeat its previous victors this time around.
Whether rooted in her veteran status or prominent offensive record this season, senior outside/opposite hitter Iman Ndiaye said she is not daunted by the must-win nature of the season’s remainder.
“It’s an opportunity for us to challenge ourselves and find new ways to score, new ways to adapt faster than other teams,” Ndiaye said. “What our team does really well is have a gritty mindset, so we always take every game and try to really challenge other teams no matter what.”
While UCLA has not seen any representation in the Pac-12 Player of the Week selections yet, its team leaders boast records stronger than those of its upcoming opponents.
On a teamwide level thus far, UCLA boasts the third-highest block count behind conference foes Oregon and Colorado. Dodson is the only Bruin in the top five among Pac-12 hitting percentage leaders with a .362 clip.
Ndiaye, who recently tied her single-game kill record for the season against Washington, said the Bruins’ well-rounded ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities will be crucial moving forward.
“My focus for the second half is to channel from my better games and try to bring that consistently,” Ndiaye said. “I know it’s really important for our team to have people score in every position, so I want to do my best to just show up and bring a lot of things defensively and offensively.”
Defeating more teams isn’t the only medium for the Bruins to boost their current RPI ranking of 44, however. Since the total depends on a variety of winning percentages, the weight of past losses also depends on the impact those teams have had since.
Ultimately, Leverette said the team doesn’t treat its upcoming games lightly.
“We know the importance of taking every match that we can and just going into every match like it determines how our postseason goes,” Leverette said. “Our mindset is different in the way that we’re not really trying to figure out how to mesh and play together anymore – it’s more about smaller tweaks and making small upgrades.”
To kickstart the latter half of its Pac-12 campaign, UCLA will serve off against Utah on Friday at 6 p.m. and Colorado on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“Just continuing on the upward trajectory as we’ve been doing these past couple of matches is going to put our team in the best position – being selfless and giving our all,” Leverette said.
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