Match Stats
- #10 UCLA def. #25 Utah 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-20)
- UCLA moves to 11-2, 2-1 Pac-12; Utah falls to 11-3, 2-1 Pac 12
- Salt Lake City, ,Utah (Utah hosted)
The Utah Utes have been giant-killers all season. It took two straight wins in matches against top-25 opponents *#9 BYU, #16 Colorado) for the Utes themselves to move into the latest rankings at 25, but their streak ran its course on Friday with a 3-0 loss to UCLA.
UCLA trailed only once in the first set, at 2-1, but a late run by Jordan Anderson (4 kills in the Bruins’ last 9 points, 9 kills in the set overall) held off Utah to put the Bruins up 1-0.
In the second, Utah switched from a 5-1 to a 6-2 and dominated early as 5-straight attack errors by UCLA pushed the score to 5-1.
The Utes continued to drive forward, this time thanks more to their offense than the Bruins’ lack thereof, and the lead balooned to 10-4.
But an 11-3 UCLA run thereafter, which included forcing the action to the middle on 4 kills from Jennie Frager, lifted the Bruins back into the lead – one they wouldn’t relinquish to pick up another set.
When looking at scores, the 3rd set looks the most lopsided, but in fact it was the one frame without any big runs one way or another (UCLA did rattle off four-straight on a few occasions, though).
Anderson again took over in that final set with 4 kills, including 3 of the last 4 UCLA points, to seal the victory.
Anderson and Frager led the way for UCLA with 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Frager’s tally came on just one error in the match.
Both teams have tough matches to follow this weekend. UCLA welcomes in #20 Colorado next, while Utah has a chance to return to its upset-minded ways with a match against #23 USC on Saturday.
Videos
Press Releases
Courtesy UCLA Athletics:
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Junior Ryann Chandler notched her fifth double-double of the season with 26 assists and 12 digs, seniorJordan Anderson posted a match-best 15 kills, senior Jennie Frager added 11 kills and just one error in 17 attempts for a .588 hitting percentage and senior Taylor Formico tallied 15 digs, as the 12th-ranked Bruins swept #25 Utah on Friday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Set scores were 25-23, 25-22, 25-20.
Chandler and freshman Kylie Miller (14 assists, three digs) set the Bruins to a .304 hitting percentage. Junior Reily Buechler had eight kills, eight digs and two service aces, senior Claire Felix added six kills and four blocks and freshman Torrey Van Winden notched five kills.
The Bruins (11-2, 2-1 Pac-12) only trailed once in the opening set at 2-1. Even at eight, the Bruins scored six straight and 10 of 12 to open up a set-best lead of eight at 18-10. Anderson was a part of four of the points on three kills and a block solo and Frager added two kills and a block assist during the run. The Bruins didn’t score on their serve for the rest of the set, but managed to hold on to win the opener 25-23. Utah trimmed its deficit to 24-23 before serving an error to end the first. Anderson had nine of the 17 kills for the Bruins, who hit .293. Frager added three kills, while Chandler posted five digs and nine assists.
The second was a tale of two sets, as Utah (11-3, 2-1) led the first half, but UCLA pulled away to go up 2-0 in the match. The Utes jumped out to leads of 5-1, 8-2 and 10-4 before the Bruins methodically made their way back in it. A 9-2 run on three Frager kills, two Buechler kills with an ace, a Felix kill and two Utah attack errors gave UCLA a 13-12 edge, a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the set. At 13-all, five of six on Felix and Frager kills, a Miller ace, a Felix/Van Winden block and a Utah ball handling error brought the Bruins’ lead to a set-best four at 18-14. Like the first set, Utah fought until the end and trimmed its deficit to one at 20-19 and 22-21, but the Bruins would score three of the last four of the second, as Frager’s team-best sixth kill of the set closed out the 25-22 win. Felix added three kills, while Formico added eight digs, as the Bruins out-hit the Utes .206 to .182.
UCLA’s largest deficit was one on five occasions. At 5-4, a 4-0 Bruin run on kills by Van Winden and sophomore Zana Muno and two from Buechler put the visitors up 8-5. UCLA didn’t trail for the rest of the set. With an 18-16 edge, the Bruins scored four in a row on two Anderson kills and two Utah errors to take a set-best lead of six at 22-16. The teams sided out from there, as an Anderson kill closed out a 25-20 victory to give the Bruins the sweep. Anderson led the way in the third with five kills, Buechler added four and Muno and Van Winden recorded three apiece. Formico posted six digs, while Chandler had five. The Bruins out-hit the Utes .405 to .286.
The Bruins play at #20 Colorado on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. The match will air live on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Mountain.
Courtesy Utah Athletics:
SALT LAKE CITY – The #25 Utah Utes (11-3, 2-1) snapped a seven-match winning streak and dropped its first Pac-12 Conference match of the season in a three-set loss (23-25, 22-25, 20-25) to the #12 UCLA Bruins (11-2, 2-1) Friday evening at the Huntsman Center.
The Utes lost in straight sets for the first time this season and it also marks just the second home loss of the season.
UCLA out-hit the Utes .293 to .250 and recorded one more kill than the home squad (17 to 16) on the way to taking the first set, 25-23. Utah trailed by as many as eight points, but a 9-4 run, which included a pair of kills and a block from junior Tawnee Luafalemana, pulled the Utes back within three points at 23-20. UCLA won the next point to go up set point, but a 3-0 run got Utah back within a point. UCLA called a timeout and then won the next point on a service error to take the set.
Utah opened the second set going up 5-1 behind four consecutive blocks from Luafalemana, but UCLA would later go on a 4-0 run and a 5-1 run to retake the lead 18-14. Utah called timeout and managed to pull within a point (20-19). Junior Carly Trueman scored five of Utah’s last six points in the set, but UCLA managed to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room after taking the frame 25-22.
The Utes never led in the third set, falling behind 8-5 and later 11-7 before chipping their way back into the set. Junior Adora Anae collected three of her 11 kills in a five-point span to make it a 15-11 set in favor of the Bruins. Sophomore Berkeley Oblad followed with a kill and block to get the Utes back within two, but UCLA countered with a 7-3 run to extend its lead to 22-16. Anae would get another kill to make it a four-point match, but UCLA’s Jordan Anderson closed the set with her match-high 15th kill to give the Bruins the frame (25-20) and the match.
Anae led the Utes with her 11 kills, recording double-digit kills for the 13th time this season. Luafalemana finished with seven kills and a team-high five total blocks. Junior Eliza Katoa added seven kills and a team-best .412 hitting percentage.
Freshman Bailey Choy tallied 23 assists and sophomore Jessie Openshaw added 15 assists on the evening. Sophomore Megan Shughrou and Anae tied for the team-high with nine digs each.
UCLA finished the match hitting .304 as a team, while Utah managed to hit at a clip of .235. It was the first time this season that an opposing team had a better hitting percentage than the Utes.
The Utes will be back in action again tomorrow night, hosting #23-ranked USC. The Utes and Trojans are set to get underway at 7 p.m. inside the Huntsman Center.
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