University of Washington
UCLA
Aggressive Washington Sweeps No. 6 UCLA
September 17, 2011 | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2011
SEATTLE - One tentative match was all it took to light a fire under the fourth-ranked Husky volleyball team. Washington was hitting on all cylinders tonight against 6th-ranked UCLA and scored the straight set victory in front of a season-high 3,174 fans at Alaska Airlines Arena. The 26-24, 25-12, 25-20 victory gives UW its first Pac-12 win, as the team improves to 1-1 in conference and 9-1 overall while UCLA dropped to 9-2 and 2-1 in Pac-12 play.
The Dawgs caught fire midway through the first set and carried an aggressiveness through the rest of the match that Coach McLaughlin was pleased to see. One night after struggling on serve against USC in their first loss of the season, Washington racked up eight aces against just one error, and hit .340 for the match with senior Bianca Rowland getting back into dominant form with 12 kills and a .647 attack percentage. Junior Kylin Muñoz had one of the highest quality efforts of her career with a team-leading 13 kills and just one error for a .429 attack percentage, and setter Evan Sanders was on target all night with 41 assists.
"It's gratifying just because of what happened last night, and to bounce back like that and play like we did says a lot about the people; their behavior and what's going through their minds," said McLaughlin. "When I looked at their eyes in the lockerroom last night, there was some pain, and I told them that's a good thing because it means they invest at a high level, but we didn't get a return on the court. Tonight we did. We just did our jobs better, were in better spots, and were much more aggressive."
Washington extended its home court winning streak over the Bruins to nine, dating back to the 2004 season and including one NCAA tourney win. The Bruins had swept USC on the road last week and came in with all the momentum, but after looking shaky in Friday's three-set loss to the Trojans, Washington was a different team tonight, earning its first win over a Top-10 opponent since beating Nebraska in the NCAA Round of 16 last year.
UCLA served to open the match and Tabi Love got the kill after a dig of a Muñoz swing. Sanders set Ross on the right side for the point on the next rally, looking to give her more swings after she had just nine in Friday's match. After getting blocked once, Rowland pushed her next attempt to the corner for the kill and the 4-4 tie. UCLA picked up its third block just eleven points into the set as part of a 4-0 run to force a UW timeout. Vansant sent one straight to the floor to end the string, but the Bruins came back with another roof. Vansant then went off the block and Muñoz got one off the defense to cut the deficit to 7-10. An Orlandini floater clipped the tape and dropped in for the ace to get to 9-11. Two big swings from Rowland kept UW within a pair at 12-14, then Vansant had a tough swing from the back line go off the defense to cut it to one. Washington sided out routinely, but couldn't make a move on serve.
Washington finally forced UCLA's first error with a block from Barfield and Sanders of a Love swing. The next rally was the best of the match, as a great Ross pick-up led to a series of Vansant swings, the last one a roll shot that dropped in. That cut it to 19-20 Bruins and UCLA called time. A free ball from the Bruins led to a Rowland crosscourt kill on the next point to tie it up. Rowland and Sanders then rejected the Love left side swing and Rowland slammed home another great slide set on the next point for a 22-20 lead and it was another UCLA timeout. The Bruins got a bit of luck to end the streak as Kidder's shot hit the tape and threw off Holford. UCLA then got even with a Love kill. UW had a couple swings on the next point but Vansant ran into the block and the Huskies now called time down one. Rowland knotted it back up with her seventh kill of the set, then the Bruins missed wide to take UW to a set point. Vansant had a great swing at it but UCLA dug it and then UW mishandled a dig of its own for 24-all. The Bruins served way wide to give UW another shot, and then Sanders' subsequent served graced the back line for an ace and the Huskies had the set, 26-24. The Huskies hit. 271 in the set compared to .326 for UCLA, but they had one more kill and two aces to none for UCLA. After making an error on her first swing, Rowland pounded seven kills on eight swings the rest of the set.
The Huskies got the first two points of the second set on a Bruins error and Muñoz kill, but UCLA came right back with three straight. Muñoz stopped the run by rolling in a kill, then added her third of the set on the next rally. An ace from Ross was followed by the Bruins going into the net for a 6-3 Husky lead. Sanders and Rowland extended the run with a roof of Love. The lead hit five at 9-4 when Vansant sent one off the defense and into the crowd. The break didn't cool Holford's serve, as she dialed up an ace on the next point, then UCLA committed a back row violation and UW led 11-4 before Aquino finished out of the middle. The solid serving continued for UW with a Sanders ace, then Ross got a finishing kill from the right and UCLA needed its second timeout with the Dawgs up 15-6. Reeves ended the run out of the break. Muñoz and Barfield rattled a block down and in to make it 17-7. Muñoz continued to land big blows on the left and then Rowland got her first kill of the second after her busy first set, and UW led 22-9. Rowland slammed it on the quick for set point, and the Bruins were in the net two points later as the Huskies grabbed the set, 25-12. The Huskies hit a sizzling .481 in the second set, not committing a single error, led by Muñoz who notched six kills on 12 swings.
Barfield had two swings and finished the second one to take the first point of the third. Several ties ensued with both teams hitting well, until Ross and Barfield stuffed a UCLA swing for a 7-5 advantage. The Bruins hit into the antenna, and then Vansant aced the Bruins twice in a row, one low and flat and one dropped just over the net for an 11-6 lead and a Bruins timeout. The run hit seven points after another Vansant ace and a block assist from Barfield and Muñoz in the middle as the Huskies went up 14-6 before Love snapped the run with a nice tip. UW went right back to work after a UCLA miss and Muñoz connected for a 17-8 edge. UCLA won a long rally to trim UW's edge to 19-12, but Barfield and Sanders got a big stuff on the next rally to regain serve. Barfield then made the most of a set she had to stretch for and it was back to 21-12. Sanders set behind her head and Vansant landed the right side kill, and then Muñoz dropped in another off-speed kill for 23-14. The Bruins made a run with three straight and the Huskies called time up 23-17. UCLA's Todorovic, the conference's leader in aces, hampered the Huskies with two more serves to cut the lead to four, but Orlandini got a good pass on the next and Barfield put it away for match point at 24-19. After UCLA saved one match point, Vansant had the finishing touch as the Bruins got caught in the net and the Huskies had the sweep, 25-20. Sanders spread the ball around well in the final frame, with Muñoz collecting four kills and Barfield, Rowland, and Vansant getting three apiece. The Huskies hit .323 in the final frame with 3.5 blocks compared to .265 for UCLA.
Pac-12 play continues next week with a road trip to Arizona for the Dawgs.
