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Friday, Sept. 18
#14 UCLA at UC Irvine
10 a.m.
Crawford Court
#14 UCLA at RV Long Beach State
7:30 p.m.
Walter Pyramid
Live Audio and Live Stats: UCLABruins.com
Live Video (UCLA-LBSU Match): UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @uclawomensvb
NON-CONFERENCE WRAPS UP WITH FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER
The non-conference season wraps up Friday with a doubleheader, as the Bruins take part in the LBSU/UCI Mizuno Invitational. First, UCLA plays an early morning contest at UC Irvine's Crawford Court at 10 a.m. Later that night, the Bruins face Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid at 7:30 p.m.
BRUINS ON THE NET
Both matches will feature live audio and live stats on UCLABruins.com, as well as live video for the UCLA-Long Beach State contest, with links on the women's volleyball schedule page. In addition, Twitter updates will be available @uclawomensvb.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bruins start Pac-12 Conference play next week. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, UCLA hosts #3 USC at Pauley Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. in a match that will air on Pac-12 Networks and also feature live audio on UCLABruins.com. Following three days off, the Bruins travel to Berkeley to face California on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12 p.m. That match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins have gained 11 spots and 653 points over the last two weeks of the AVCA poll, coming in at 14th this week. UCLA improved three positions from 17th to 14th and gained 244 additional points. The Bruins are one of seven Pac-12 teams ranked inside the Top 25 (#3 USC, #7 Washington, #8 Stanford, #10 Arizona State, #16 Arizona and #19 Oregon), as well as Colorado, which is receiving votes (34th most). Other ranked or receiving votes teams on the Bruins' schedule include #12 Hawai'i, #21 San Diego, #30 SMU, #31 Long Beach State and #36 Iowa.
NEWS AND NOTES
The Bruins have won 57 straight matches when hitting .300 or better, including Sept. 5 against Iowa (.305). UCLA surpassed that mark 12 times last season and also crossed the .400 hitting plateau on three occasions ... over the last two seasons, the Bruins are 28-0 (21-0 in 2014) when leading the hitting percentage battle ... UCLA has held its opponents at a .202 hitting percentage or lower in all seven victories. Opponents have hit under .171 in the last six contests ... junior Jordan Anderson, the MVP of the last two UCLA tournaments, surpassed the 1,000 kill mark on Sunday at UC Santa Barbara. Anderson, who had 889 kills in two seasons at West Virginia, leads the Bruins with 118 and has 1,007 for her career ... sophomore Reily Buechler leads the Bruins with nine service aces, having produced a winner in six of eight matches. Buechler, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic, has at least eight kills in every contest, including five in double figures ... redshirt junior Haley Lawless has at least eight kills in four straight matches, producing a season-best 12 against San Diego on Sept. 11. She has also been solid defensively at the net with a career-best seven blocks at Hawai'i (Sept. 6) ... senior Karly Drolson has matched her jersey number in three of her last four matches, producing six digs against Hawai'i, SMU (Sept. 12) and UCSB ... junior Claire Felix, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at UCSB, has recorded at least eight kills and one or no errors in four contests. She is the team leader in hitting percentage and also has at least five blocks in three contests ... freshman Zana Muno has made five collegiate starts and has four double-doubles, including one on Sunday at UCSB (34 assists, 10 digs) that led to her earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. Muno's career-best assist total was 47 against San Diego, while her season-high in digs was 20 at Hawai'i ... junior Jennie Frager has notched at least five blocks in each of her last four contests. She had six versus a couple of ranked teams (Hawai'i and San Diego), which both tied a career best ... junior Taylor Formico, who was named to the UCSB All-Tournament Team, has seven double-figure digs matches and at least nine in every contest. She has also served aces in five of eight contests and is second on the team with seven ... senior Rachel Inouye has four straight double-figure digs contests. Twice this season, she has been one dig shy of equaling her career best of 15, posting 14 against Virginia (Aug. 29) and Hawai'i ... redshirt sophomore Ryann Chandler made her third start of the year against SMU and posted her first career double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs.
MUNO NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Zana Muno was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday after setting the Bruins to two of their three victories at last weekend's UCSB Tournament.
Muno started on Friday against #18 San Diego and recorded a career-best 47 assists and three service aces to go with five digs, three blocks and two kills. She set the Bruins to a .289 hitting percentage in their four-set victory over the Toreros.
On Sunday versus the host Gauchos, Muno posted her team-leading fourth double-double of the season with 34 assists and 10 digs. She added three kills and three blocks in the UCLA sweep.
Muno leads the Bruins with 10.32 assists per set and is third with 2.95 digs per set. She also has 17 kills, a .517 hitting percentage, four aces and nine blocks.
Since 2011, when the conference started handing out Offense, Defense and Freshman of the Week honors, the Bruins have claimed three Freshman of the Week awards. Zoë Nightingale was FOW on Sept. 26, 2011, while Reily Buechler received the accolade last Oct. 20.
SCOUTING THE UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine is 4-5 on the season, coming off a 1-2 weekend at a tournament in Minneapolis. The Anteaters were swept by Minnesota and lost to North Dakota State in five, while beating UCF in five. UCI has faced one Pac-12 team this season, getting swept by Washington State on Sept. 4. The Anteaters are averaging 12.09 kills, 1.14 aces, 12.91 digs and 1.74 blocks per set, hitting .221. Redshirt junior Victoria Dennis leads the squad with 3.34 kps, while freshman Harlee Kekauoha is second at 2.89 kps and first with 11 aces. Sophomore Emily Blair (7.35 assists per set) and junior Shelley Anderson (7.19) split the setting duties. Sophomore Luna Tsujimoto is tops on the squad with 3.60 dps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. ANTEATERS
UCLA has won all 11 matches with UC Irvine, including three contests in Orange County. Each of the last two matchups between the Bruins and the Anteaters were in Irvine and four-set victories for UCLA (Sept. 18, 2010 and Sept. 7, 2007). UC Irvine has won only three sets against UCLA.
SCOUTING THE LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS
Long Beach State, which plays San Diego earlier on Friday, has an 8-2 record. The 49ers are on a six-match winning streak and are averaging 13.47 kills, 0.97 aces, 14.42 digs and 1.89 blocks per set, hitting .254. Junior Nele Barber is tops on the squad with 3.95 kps and second at 3.11 dps. Sophomore Ashley Murray is second with 3.03 kps and first with 0.82 bps. Senior Jenelle Hudson handles the setting duties and is averaging 10.61 assists per set with a team-best nine aces. Freshman Mykah Wilson is first with 3.24 dps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. 49ERS
UCLA leads the all-time series with Long Beach State 58-19 and has won four in a row, including a second-round matchup in last year's NCAA Tournament. The Bruins swept the 49ers 27-25, 25-15, 25-14 at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 6, 2014. UCLA is 16-6 all-time at Long Beach State, including a five-set victory in the last matchup at the Walter Pyramid on Sept. 18, 2013. The 49ers' most recent win was a sweep in Fullerton on Sept. 19, 2009.