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Wednesday, Sept. 23
#3 USC at #13 UCLA
7:30 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion
Buy Tickets
Live TV: Pac-12 Networks
Live Audio: UCLABruins.com
Live Stats: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @uclawomensvb
Sunday, Sept. 27
#13 UCLA at California
12 p.m.
Haas Pavilion
Live TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles
Live Stats: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @uclawomensvb
PAC-12 PLAY OPENS VERSUS #3 USC, AT CALIFORNIA
The 13th-ranked Bruins take their eight-match winning streak into the start of Pac-12 Conference play this week, starting Wednesday when UCLA faces #3 USC at Pauley Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. That match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks. On Sunday, the Bruins head north to Berkeley to take on California at 12 p.m. in a match broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles.
TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
Tickets for Wednesday's match against USC can be purchased in advance online or at the Pauley Pavilion ticket office starting an hour before the match (6:30 p.m.). Fans in attendance are invited to take a picture with the BMW SoCal Crosstown Cup and the Victory Bell on the concourse. In addition, the first 200 fans wearing Bruin Blue will receive a UCLA volleyball poster.
BRUINS ON THE NET
Wednesday's match will feature live audio on UCLABruins.com, while both contests this week will have live stats, with links on the women's volleyball schedule page. In addition, Twitter updates will be available @uclawomensvb.
SOCAL BMW CROSSTOWN CUP
Wednesday's match officially begins the battle for the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup, which the Bruins won last season. With a 95-85 victory, which included 10 points from UCLA women's volleyball, the Bruins have won two of the last three Crosstown Cups. 2015-2016 marks the second year the Cup has been presented by SoCal BMW. All 10 points for a single sport are awarded to the winner of the most head-to-head contests in that sport (the 10 points are split if both schools win an equal amount of matchups in a sport).
WHAT'S NEXT
UCLA hosts the Washington schools to open up the month of October, facing sixth-ranked Washington on Friday, Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion and Washington State on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. at the John Wooden Center. The UCLA-UW match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks, while the UCLA-WSU contest will have a live video stream on UCLABruins.com.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins' rise up the polls continues, as UCLA checks in at 13th in this week's AVCA rankings. Since coming in at 25th with just 88 points after the opening weekend, the Bruins have jumped up 12 spots and gained 757 points over the last three polls. UCLA is one of seven Pac-12 teams ranked inside the Top 20 (#3 USC, #6 Washington, #7 Arizona State, #8 Stanford, #14 Arizona and #18 Oregon), as well as Colorado, which is receiving votes (35th most). Other ranked or receiving votes teams on the Bruins' schedule include #11 Hawai'i, #25 Long Beach State, #26 SMU, #31 Iowa and #34 San Diego.
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bruins rank in the Top 50 nationally in four statistical categories, coming in at 14th in assists per set (13.39), 15th in kills per set (14.45), 35th in blocks per set (2.61) and 43rd in hitting percentage (.259). Individually, junior Jordan Anderson is 10th in kps (4.70), 14th in points per set (5.12) and 33rd in attacks per set (11.42), while junior Claire Felix is 44th with a .401 hitting percentage.
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
Coming into conference play, the Bruins rank second in digs per set (15.94) among Pac-12 teams, third in assists per set (13.39) and fourth in hitting percentage (.259) and kills per set (14.45). Individually, UCLA has a pair of players in the Top 10 in kps, as junior Jordan Anderson is second (4.70) and sophomore Reily Buechler ranks 10th (3.58). Anderson is also third in points per set (5.12). Freshman Zana Muno is fourth in assists per set (10.15), junior Taylor Formico checks in at fifth in dps (3.88), junior Claire Felix is eighth in hitting (.401) and junior Jennie Frager is 10th in blocks per set (1.28).
NEWS AND NOTES
The Bruins have won 58 straight matches when hitting .300 or better, including Sept. 5 against Iowa (.305) and Sept. 18 at UC Irvine (.317). 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 29-0 (8-0 this year) when leading the hitting percentage battle ... UCLA has held its opponents at a .202 hitting percentage or lower in eight of its nine victories ... junior Jordan Anderson, who leads the Bruins in kills per set and has 10 double-figure kills contests, surpassed the 1,000 kill mark on Sept. 13 at UC Santa Barbara. Anderson, who had 889 kills in two seasons at West Virginia, leads the Bruins with 155 and has 1,044 for her career ... sophomore Reily Buechler leads the Bruins with 10 service aces, having produced a winner in seven of 10 matches. Buechler has at least eight kills in every contest, including seven in double figures ... redshirt junior Haley Lawless has at least eight kills in five straight matches, setting a career high with 15 at Long Beach State last Friday. She is averaging 3.18 kps over her last five contests, as well as 1.12 blocks per set ... junior Claire Felix has recorded at least eight kills and one or no errors in five contests. She leads all hitters with a .401 hitting percentage and has been above that mark four times this season ... freshman Zana Muno has a team-best five double-doubles in her seven collegiate starts, including one last Friday at Long Beach State (25 assists, 17 digs). The Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Sept. 14 also has aces in three of her last five contests ... junior Jennie Frager notched a career-best nine blocks at Long Beach State, her team-leading fifth match with at least five roofs. She also had six versus a couple of ranked teams (Hawai'i and San Diego) ... junior Taylor Formico has eight double-figure digs matches and at least eight in every contest. The team leader in dps also has an ace in six of 10 matches ... senior Rachel Inouye has double figures in digs in four of her last six contests. She also has six aces and has produced kills in three of her last four matches.
MUNO NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Zana Muno was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on Sept. 14 after setting the Bruins to two of their three victories at the UCSB Tournament.
Muno started on Sept. 11 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 Sept. 13 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.
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 USC TROJANS
USC carries a 12-0 record into Wednesday's match, having dropped just two of 38 sets. The Trojans are 3-0 against ranked teams this season, defeating North Carolina, BYU and Kentucky. USC is averaging 14.87 kills, 1.76 aces, 15.61 digs and 2.71 blocks per set, hitting .335 as a team. Senior Samantha Bricio is tops on the squad with 5.03 kills per set and 33 aces to go with 2.45 digs per set, adding 2.45 digs per set, which is second on the team. Freshman Alyse Ford (2.61 kps) and sophomore Brittany Abercrombie (2.54 kps) are also averaging over 2.00 kps. Freshman Baylee Johnson (6.84 assists per set) and junior Alice Pizzasegola (5.39) are splitting the setting duties. Junior Taylor Whittingham is first with 4.74 dps, while senior Alicia Ogoms is leading the team with 1.71 bps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. TROJANS
For the first time since 2009, the Bruins swept both matches against USC when they won in three at Galen Center (Sept. 23) and in five at Pauley Pavilion (Nov. 28) last season. The two wins gave UCLA a 60-55 edge in the all-time series. The Bruins are 28-22 at home versus the Trojans. USC's most recent victory against UCLA came in Westwood, a three-set sweep on Nov. 27, 2013.
SCOUTING THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
California, which hosts Stanford on Tuesday, went 1-1 in its final non-conference tuneup last weekend at home, sweeping Saint Mary's before getting swept by #24 Pacific. The Golden Bears are averaging 12.88 kills, 1.05 aces, 14.98 digs and 2.20 blocks per set, posting a .204 hitting percentage. Six players are averaging over 2.00 kills per set, led by redshirt senior Lillian Schonewise's 2.66. Freshman Carmen Annevelink is second at 2.56 kps, while sophomore Christine Alftin is third (2.46). Junior Alyssa Jensen quarterbacks the offense and is averaging 9.54 assists per set. Junior Maddy Kerr is tops on the squad with 3.88 digs per set, while senior Lara Vukasovic (1.31) and junior Jenelle Jordan (1.14) are each averaging over a block per set.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. GOLDEN BEARS
UCLA leads the all-time series against California 58-8 and won both matchups last season after getting swept in 2013. The Bruins recorded a four-set win in Berkeley (Oct. 26) and a three-set victory in Los Angeles (Nov. 16). UCLA has won six of its last eight versus California and is 25-4 all-time in Berkeley.