This post was updated Oct. 31 at 10:08 p.m.
The Bruins’ gameplay continuously scaled new peaks as the weekend unfolded.
Their head coach said this pattern was reminiscent of the team’s hopes for the rest of their Pac-12 play.
“Our team is trending upwards,” coach Alfee Reft said. “So these are big wins for us just as a team and a unit that’s continually growing.”
UCLA women’s volleyball (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) completed its road trip to the mountains with consecutive victories against Utah (9-13, 4-8) and Colorado (13-10, 5-7) on Friday and Sunday, respectively, defeating the former in four sets before sweeping the latter.
The Bruins dropped their only set of the weekend in the first frame against the Utes but managed to win the next three behind a .363 hitting percentage – which, combined with Sunday’s .333 clip, marks half of the team’s top-four offensive performances of the season.
Both senior opposite/outside hitter Iman Ndiaye and sophomore opposite hitter Cheridyn Leverette notched double-digit kills Friday and Sunday. Ndiaye led the matches in points and kills against the Utes and Buffaloes.
Entering the second half of conference play, Ndiaye said facing familiar opponents has helped her find efficient ways to pull ahead.
“Being able to play these teams twice is really helpful because you know what they’re doing already,” Ndiaye said. “Personally, I just know I’m about to be creative on how I’m attacking and finding ways to score, and I think we’ve just been getting a good rhythm, so I think that’s been helping us get wins.”
Sophomore Audrey Pak inscribed 44 assists against the Utes into her career record book, while the setter’s serves marked turning points in both matches. Pak’s aces propelled her team to overtake both foes from behind in separate instances – ultimately contributing to the Bruins’ weekend ace total of 11.
When it comes to staying in the game, Reft said Pak’s performance embodies the team’s strategies.
“Our serve and our block has been a really nice staple and something that we can lean on to score points in a hurry while we’re continuing to shore up our first contact and our defense,” Reft said.
Anna Dodson, a Colorado local herself, had an errorless performance Sunday to complement her career-high block assists Friday.
The redshirt senior middle blocker said her homecoming performance can be attributed to on-court support from her teammates.
“It wouldn’t be possible for me to score without them passing well,” Dodson said. “Audrey’s sets are connecting very well right now, and they’re going great.”
And as the countdown to a potential NCAA bid continues, Dodson said each victory becomes increasingly valuable.
“One of our words of the match was making a statement and finishing off the mission that we set out to do this weekend, which was to sweep both of the mountain teams – Utah and Colorado,” Dodson said. “And I think we executed our job and did what we needed to do.”
When the Bruins return to Westwood, they will be tasked with defending Pauley Pavilion – especially after allowing their opponents to capitalize on their respective home-court advantages last time around.
Luckily for them, this weekend proved they are capable of flipping the script.
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