Glory, prestige, and satisfaction – that’s what a national championship brings.
And after becoming runner-ups in last season’s campaign, the Wildcats are out for vengeance.
UCLA women’s volleyball (2-0) is looking to defeat No. 3 Kentucky (3-1) on Wednesday at the Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
Both teams will enter the matchup on a two-game winning streak. Kentucky secured a win over No. 6 Wisconsin on Aug. 21, while UCLA won a doubleheader against Long Beach State on Friday and Saturday, dropping only one set in the series.
There’s recent history between these two squads. They met in the second round of the NCAA tournament, when Kentucky defeated UCLA 3-1. Outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette ended her career with a team-high 22 kills at a .294 clip during the match, but couldn’t overcome the Wildcats’ outside hitter duo of Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson, who combined for 57 kills across the four sets.
The Bruins won’t have Leverette this time around. In their first two matchups, though, they showed they’re still capable of producing a strong offensive performance.
Junior setter Kate Duffey dished out to freshman middle blocker Brooke Harwood and sophomore outside hitter Ava Utterback – who transferred from Louisville – in the Bruins’ home opener against Long Beach State. Duffey kept the offense steady with 36 assists, contributing to a smooth three-set closeout.
“They [the coaches] are bringing a lot of consistent energy for us,” senior outside hitter Maggie Li said. “When we’re in difficult moments, that’s the energy that we need. We aren’t trying to do something that we don’t have any control over.”
Consistent energy seems to be a theme both on and off the court.
The squad is focused on building each other up in every way possible.
“Something I really cherished when I came to UCLA are the relationships on and off the court,” said junior libero Lola Schumacher. “I know I’m welcome here beyond my sport, and I know the other girls are super happy about that safety blanket.”
Harwood is one of four freshmen on the squad. She recorded team highs in kills and hitting percentage for the night – 13 and .522, respectively. The Mesa, Arizona, local joined the squad after previously being named the No. 20-ranked high school middle blocker in the nation, according to PrepDig.
The Bruins have used the triple block on almost every heavy hitter. Li and fifth-year middle blocker Marianna Singletary have spurred the squad’s defensive momentum, picking up a combined 13 blocks against Long Beach State.
The Wildcats have their own heavy hitters. AVCA First Team All-American selection DeLeye and First Team All-ACC honoree Morgan Gaerte line the offensive front, boasting a combined 72 kills so far this season.
“We’re going to play a couple of pretty tough matches,” head coach Matt Werle said. “I’m excited to see the environment at Kentucky this week, and it’s only going to bring us better together.”
Comments are closed.