UCLA
USC
17th-Ranked Bruins Win Five-Set Thriller Against USC
November 29, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
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2014 UCLA Women's Volleyball Media Guide
LOS ANGELES - Senior Karsta Lowe had 32 kills and 13 digs, while senior Julie Consani posted 67 assists and 11 digs, as the 17th-ranked Bruins concluded the regular season with a five-set victory over USC on Friday at Pauley Pavilion. Set scores were 25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12.
Lowe recorded her third-straight double-double, eighth of the season and 10th of her career, hitting .319. Consani's 67 assists were a career best, as she had her fourth double-double and set the Bruins (20-11, 11-9 Pac-12) to a .272 hitting percentage. Freshman Olga Strantzali added 14 kills, a .462 percentage and seven digs, while sophomore Claire Felix also had 14 kills with a .478 percentage.
Sophomore Taylor Formico had a match- and season-high 26 digs, junior Rachel Inouye notched a personal-best 15 digs and junior Karly Drolson added 11 digs. Senior Zoë Nightingale, redshirt sophomore Haley Lawless and freshman Reily Buechler each had five kills.
With Friday's victory, the Bruins increase their lead in the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup standings to 40-10.
Set one featured 12 ties and three lead changes, as the Bruins trailed for most of the set before rallying late. USC (15-15, 8-12) scored three of the first four points, but four in a row for the Bruins gave the home team their first lead. Lowe was a part of all four points on three kills and a block with Nightingale. The next two points went to the Trojans, who maintained the lead until at 15-14, three in a row for the Bruins put them up. Two Strantzali kills and a Lowe ace gave UCLA a 17-15 edge, a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the set.
Despite ties at 17 and 18, the Bruins held the lead. At 18-all, a Felix kill and a Trojan attack error made it 20-18. The teams traded the next six points, which was followed by back-to-back Lowe kills to wrap up a 25-21 victory. Lowe had eight kills and five digs in the opener, Felix and Strantzali each tallied three kills and Formico added seven digs, as the Bruins out-hit the Trojans .282 to .278.
The Bruins again trailed early in set two at 4-2, but a 4-0 run put them up. Strantzali and Lowe had kills, Lowe teamed up with Felix on a block and Nightingale served an ace. UCLA still led by a pair at 8-6 until USC went on a 7-1 run to forge ahead 13-9.
The closest the Bruins would get the rest of the set was three, as the Trojans' lead grew to as many as seven at 21-14 and 22-15. USC ended up winning the second 25-19. Lowe had five kills in the second, while Felix added three. Formico posted six digs, as the Bruins were out-hit .371 to .273.
There was one tie at three in the third set, as USC never trailed to go up 2-1 in the match. The Bruins gave up 11 of the first 15 points and were only able to get as close as three the rest of the way. Seven, on two occasions, was USC's largest lead of the set, as the Trojans won the third 25-20. Strantzali had an impressive set with seven kills and no errors in nine attempts, Lowe added four kills, Felix posted three and Formico and Inouye each had five digs. The Bruins were out-hit .300 to .167.
After falling behind 3-2 in set four, the Bruins scored three straight on two Lowe kills and a USC ball handling error. Despite three more ties, UCLA didn't trail for the rest of the set or the match. Leading 11-10, a 7-1 Bruin run gave them a set-best lead of seven at 18-11. Lowe and Strantzali both had two kills, Lawless had a kill, Nightingale added an ace and USC committed an error for the seven points.
USC got to within three at 20-17, but would get no closer. At 21-18, the Bruins scored four of the last five to force a fifth set. Two Lowe kills and a Lawless kill opened the 4-1 run, and after a USC sideout, a Lowe/Nightingale block wrapped up the 25-19 win. Lowe had nine of the Bruins' 17 kills in the fourth, while Consani and Formico each had five digs, as the Bruins out-hit the Trojans .406 to .176.
The Bruins scored the first point of set five on a Lawless kill, and after a USC sideout, scored the next two on a Lowe kill and a bad Trojan set. Up 6-4, three straight on a USC service error and Felix and Lowe kills brought the lead to a set-best five at 9-4.
With the Bruins up 13-9, the Trojans scored two in a row to force a UCLA timeout, but a Lowe kill gave UCLA match point. The Trojans saved the first attempt, but Lowe's 32nd kill of the night closed out the 15-12 win in the fifth and the UCLA victory. Lowe had six kills in the fifth, while Felix was a perfect 3-for-3, as the Bruins were out-hit by the Trojans .308 to .286.
The Bruins find out where their postseason journey begins on Sunday when ESPNU airs the NCAA Selection Show at 5:30 p.m.
