11th-Ranked Bruins Head to the Desert
November 19, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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Friday, Nov. 20
#11 UCLA at #24 Arizona State
6 p.m. PT
Wells Fargo Arena
Live TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
Sunday, Nov. 22
#11 UCLA at #23 Arizona
11 a.m. PT
McKale Center
Live Video
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
11TH-RANKED BRUINS TRAVEL TO #24 ASU, #23 ARIZONA
The 11th-ranked Bruins get on a plane for the final time during this regular season, traveling to the desert to take on #24 Arizona State on Friday at 6 p.m. PT and #23 Arizona on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. Friday's match will air on Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles, while Sunday's contest will have a live video feed on UCLABruins.com. Live stats will be available online for both matches.
BRUINS ON THE NET
Both matches this week will feature live stats, with links available on the women's volleyball schedule page on UCLABruins.com. In addition, Twitter updates will be available @uclawomensvb. Sunday's contest will have a live online video feed.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bruins buffer the Thanksgiving holiday with a pair of local matches, traveling to top-ranked USC on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and hosting #7 Stanford at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 27. Both matches start at 8 p.m., will air on Pac-12 Los Angeles and have free audio on UCLABruins.com.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins dropped two spots in the AVCA poll to 11th this week, losing 169 points. UCLA is one of six Pac-12 teams ranked inside the Top 25 (#1 USC, #2 Washington, #7 Stanford, #23 Arizona and #24 Arizona State), with Colorado (26th most) also receiving votes. Other ranked or receiving votes teams on the Bruins' schedule include #8 Hawai'i, #27 SMU, #30 San Diego and #33 Long Beach State.
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bruins rank in the Top 50 nationally in four statistical categories, coming into the week at 16th in assists per set (13.46), 23rd in kills per set (14.23), 36th in blocks per set (2.55) and 39th in digs per set (16.59). Individually, junior Jordan Anderson is seventh in kps (4.72), 20th in points per set (5.01) and 35th in attacks per set (11.56).
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
UCLA comes into this week's action ranked second among conference teams in digs per set (16.59), third in assists (13.46) and kills (14.23) per set and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.174) and service aces per set (1.10). Junior Jordan Anderson is second in kps (4.72) and points per set (5.01), junior Taylor Formico is fourth in dps (4.36) and freshman Zana Muno is fourth in aps (10.09) and 10th in dps (3.38). In addition, junior Jennie Frager is sixth in blocks per set (1.22) and junior Claire Felix is seventh in hitting (.358). In Pac-12-only matches, Anderson is second in kps (4.73) and pps (4.95), Formico is second in dps (4.64) and Muno is fifth in aps (10.05), while as a team, the Bruins are second in dps (16.97).
MUNO NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman Zana Muno was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week on Nov. 9 after helping the Bruins to a pair of victories against Colorado and Utah. Muno, who received her second Pac-12 FOW accolade of the season, posted a pair of double-doubles with 42 assists and 14 digs against Colorado and 47 assists and 19 digs versus Utah.
Muno nearly had a double-double in the first set against the Buffs on Nov. 4 with 17 assists and eight digs. She added two kills and a block versus CU. On Nov. 6, Muno had at least five digs in each of the first three sets against Utah, posting two kills, a block and an ace.
Since 2011, when the conference started handing out Offense, Defense and Freshman of the Week honors, the Bruins have claimed four Freshman of the Week awards. Zoë Nightingale was FOW on Sept. 26, 2011, Reily Buechler received the accolade last Oct. 20 and Muno won the honor this Sept. 14.
NEWS AND NOTES
UCLA is 14-1 in matches away from Westwood (10-1 on road, 4-0 at neutral sites), with the only loss coming at Washington on Nov. 1 ... the Bruins have won 62 straight matches when hitting .300 or better. They have surpassed that mark six times this year, posting season bests in hitting in back-to-back contests against Colorado (.343) on Oct. 11 and Arizona (.373) on Oct. 16 ... over the last two seasons, UCLA is 41-0 (20-0 this year) when leading the hitting percentage battle ... the Bruins have held their opponents at a .202 hitting percentage or lower in 18 of their 21 victories ... UCLA is 20-1 (only loss vs. Oregon, 11/12) when winning the opening set, 13-0 when serving more aces than its opponent and 15-0 when winning the blocking battle ... junior Jordan Anderson had a pair of 19-kill matches last week and has 4.85 kps over her last three contests. Anderson has reached the 20-kill mark eight times this season (last versus Utah on Nov. 6) and leads the team with 24 double-figure kills contests. She also had a pair of block solos versus both Utah and Oregon (Nov. 12) ... sophomore Reily Buechler returned to action last week and posted 16 kills against Oregon State on Sunday, adding seven digs. She has 16 double-figure kills matches this season and is second on the team with five double-doubles. Buechler tied a career best with 21 kills on Oct. 25 at OSU and posted her first career match with zero hitting errors against Arizona on Oct. 16 when she had 16 kills in 31 attempts for a .516 percentage ... redshirt junior Haley Lawless did not commit a hitting error against Oregon, recording five kills in 18 attempts, adding three digs and three blocks ... senior Karly Drolson has all five of her double-figure digs matches in her last seven contests, including 11 versus OSU and 13 against Oregon. She has aces in four of her last seven, including a pair versus Oregon and OSU (Oct. 25) ... junior Claire Felix has at least one block solo in seven of her last 10 matches, posting a career-high three against ASU (Oct. 18) and WSU (Oct. 30). Felix, who has recorded at least four kills and one or no errors in 12 contests, did not commit a hitting error in three straight matches (Oct. 11, 16, 18) with 21 kills in 38 attempts (.553). She also had aces in three straight matches (Nov. 4, 6, 12) ... freshman Zana Muno ran her double-double streak to eight with two more last week (49 assists, 10 digs vs. OSU and 51 assists, 21 digs vs. Oregon) and continues to lead the team with 13. The two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week has surpassed 40 assists in four straight matches and also has three contests with at least 20 digs ... junior Jennie Frager has 11 matches with at least four kills and one or no errors, going for 10 kills and one error in 18 attempts for a .500 percentage versus Oregon State. It was her third match this season with double figures in kills. She also has at least five blocks in three straight and a team-high 12 times ... junior Taylor Formico extended her double-figure digs streak to 15 with a pair of 23-dig matches last week. Formico has 23 double-figure digs contests. She is also second with 18 service aces, producing at least one in 14 of 26 matches ... senior Rachel Inouye recorded her eighth double-figure digs match with 13 against OSU on Sunday, and her season best came two weekends ago against Utah (14). Inouye leads the squad with 19 aces and posted a winner in five straight from Oct. 25-Nov. 6 ... freshman Kyra Rogers had a season-best 10 kills against Oregon last Thursday. She set career highs in hitting (.381), digs (14) and blocks (6) against Utah ... redshirt sophomore Jessyka Ngauamo has double figures in kills in four straight matches, recording 10 against Oregon. Her career high was on Nov. 4 against Colorado with 19 ... prior to getting injured during the first set at Oregon, redshirt sophomore Ryann Chandler started six straight matches from Oct. 2-18, averaging 12.84 assists and 2.58 digs per set during that stretch. Chandler, who is day-to-day, posted her third double-double of the season with 43 assists and a season-best 14 digs against ASU.
SCOUTING THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State (19-8, 8-8 Pac-12) has split each of the last two weekends, winning at Utah and dropping a match at Colorado most recently. The Sun Devils are averaging 12.69 kills, 0.89 aces, 14.58 digs and 2.95 blocks per set, hitting .210. Three players are averaging over 2.00 kps, led by junior Cassidy Pickrell's 2.73 to go with a team-best 23 aces. Junior BreElle Bailey is second at 2.45 kps, while senior Whitney Follette is third at 2.25 kps. Senior Bianca Arellano (5.95 assists per set) and freshman Kylie Pickrell (4.88) split the setting duties. Sophomore Halle Harker is tops with 3.58 dps, while Follette leads the team with 1.32 bps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. SUN DEVILS
The Bruins are 68-10 all-time against the Sun Devils and snapped a two-match losing streak to ASU with a sweep at the John Wooden Center on Oct. 18 (25-21, 25-16, 30-28). Four players were in double figures in kills (Jordan Anderson 15, Reily Buechler/Jennie Frager 12, Claire Felix 11), with the Bruin middles combining for 23 kills and no errors in 36 attempts (.639), while Taylor Formico (15) and Ryann Chandler (14) had double figures in digs. UCLA is 29-7 in Tempe, dropping a five-setter last year, but winning in a sweep in 2013.
SCOUTING THE ARIZONA WILDCATS
Arizona (17-11, 7-9 Pac-12), which hosts USC on Friday, beat Utah in five last Friday before falling in three at Colorado on Sunday. The Wildcats are averaging 13.94 kills, 0.90 aces, 16.53 digs and 2.22 blocks per set, hitting .215. Three players are averaging over 2.00 kps, led by junior Kalei Mau's 4.33. Freshman Tyler Spriggs is second at 2.58 kps and senior Nikki Attea is third (2.46) to go with a team-high 21 aces. Junior Penina Snuka handles the setting with 10.76 assists per set, along with a team-best 3.23 dps. Senior Halli Amaro is tops on the squad with 0.97 bps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. WILDCATS
UCLA improved to 54-22 all-time against Arizona with a sweep of the Wildcats on Oct. 16 at Pauley Pavilion (25-16, 25-18, 25-22). Reily Buechler had 16 kills in an error-less 31 attempts (.516), Jordan Anderson added 16 kills and Taylor Formico posted 14 digs, as the Bruins hit a season-best .373. UCLA is 22-13 all-time in Tucson, but has dropped three in a row. The Bruins' last win was a five-setter in 2010.
