This post was updated Nov. 13 at 10:22 p.m.
It is not often that a team gets to play the role of David and Goliath in the same weekend.
But that is exactly the position the Bruins find themselves in.
UCLA women’s volleyball (14-10, 8-6 Big Ten) will take on No. 1 Nebraska (24-0, 14-0) on Friday and Rutgers (11-15, 2-12) on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.
The undefeated Cornhuskers pose the biggest challenge the Bruins have faced all season, boasting a 57-3 record since the start of last season. One of those victories was a three-set sweep against UCLA on Sept. 27, 2024.
Statistically, this is a nightmare matchup.
The Huskers have played 10 fewer sets – last dropping a set to Creighton on Sept. 16 – than the Bruins this season.
Nebraska has won 92.3% of its sets this season and is currently riding a 15-match streak of sweeps. In comparison, the Bruins have won 55.7% of their sets this season, including a total of eight sweeps.
And the numbers don’t stop there.
Nebraska trounces UCLA in just about every metric: kill rate, kills per set, serving aces per set and blocks per set.
After a 3-2 win against Northwestern on Nov. 8, the Bruins said they thrive under the pressure of difficult matches.
“We talk about 0-0 every set,” said redshirt junior middle blocker Marianna Singletary. “Finding ways to continue to stay engaged and hungry the entire match. So just going back to 0-0. Score does not affect how we move, how we play. Every point matters down the road. We reset a lot, we breathe in our huddles, we slow the game down, make eye contact and just continue to stay in every single moment.”
The Bruins will likely need to excel in blocking to counter a Huskers squad that boasts the fourth-highest kills per set in the nation.
Singletary said blocking has been a point of focus for the Bruins, who have addressed it through a variety of unique drills.
“We do ‘bloxing’ (box blocking),” Singletary said. “We work on blocking with dodge balls and blocking without jump – really focusing on hands and getting into the nitty gritty of our skill.”
The Bruins will likely need to brace themselves for an early attack from Nebraska. The Huskers have won opening sets in all but two of their 24 matches this season.
Coach Alfee Reft touted the versatility of the team – an aspect potentially critical against Nebraska.
“We have some internal things going on that we’re certainly working through in a match,” Reft said. “We can play anybody on the team. We feel like there’s a lot of ways to win.”
Regardless of the result, the Bruins will suit up a mere 24 hours later when they face Rutgers for Senior Day.
The Scarlet Knights have struggled in conference play, with the second-worst record.
Despite their difficulties, Rutgers should not be discounted. It boasts a higher hitting percentage of .251 to UCLA’s .219 while putting down nearly the same kills per set.
But there is one area where Rutgers is staggeringly adept: serving aces.
The Scarlet Knights average 1.88 serving aces per set, good for 23rd in the nation. To combat that, the Bruins will need to lean into their defense, which ranks second in the Big Ten with 14.15 digs per set.
This weekend will test the Bruins once again, facing a ranked squad for the first time since falling to USC on Oct. 29.
They will need to stay even-keeled and focused to succeed.
“Just finding one thing to connect to,” said senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette. “For me, that’s the scout – what the other team is doing as far as personnel and the attacker and blocker profile. I just find that to reconnect to, to stay focused when there’s a lot of outside noise, especially at home.”
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