UCLA Travels to USC, Hosts Stanford
November 24, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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Wednesday, Nov. 25
#13 UCLA at #1 USC
8 p.m.
Galen Center
Live TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles
Live Audio
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
Friday, Nov. 27
#6 Stanford at #13 UCLA
8 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion
Live TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles
Live Audio
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
BRUINS FACE #1 USC, HOST #6 STANFORD
The 13th-ranked Bruins stay local for their final two matches of the regular season, traveling to #1 USC on Wednesday at 8 p.m. before hosting #6 Stanford on Friday at 8 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. Both matches will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles and will have live audio and live stats on UCLABruins.com.
BRUINS ON THE NET
Both matches this week will feature live audio and live stats, with links available on the women's volleyball schedule page on UCLABruins.com. In addition, Twitter updates will be available @uclawomensvb.
TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
Tickets for Friday's contest can be purchased in advance online or at the Pauley Pavilion ticket office starting one hour before the match. Along with Senior Night festivities prior to Friday's match, tickets will be just $4 to honor the four Bruin seniors. In addition, the first 200 fans will each receive a UCLA tote bag. Parking on campus is free on Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
SOCAL BMW CROSSTOWN CUP
The winner of Wednesday's UCLA-USC match will score five points towards the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup. UCLA currently leads this year's tally 20-15 by virtue of 10 points from both men's water polo and women's cross country. USC earned its points with a victory in women's volleyball (5) and women's soccer (10). UCLA won last year 95-85 and has won two of the last three Crosstown Cups.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bruins will learn where their postseason journey begins on Sunday with the one-hour NCAA selection show, which will air on ESPNU at 6 p.m. First- and second-round action will take place at 16 campus sites around the country next Friday and Saturday.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins fell two spots to 13th in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll. UCLA is one of five Pac-12 teams ranked inside the Top 25 (#1 USC, #2 Washington, #6 Stanford and #23 Arizona), with Arizona State (27th most) and Colorado (30th) also receiving votes. Other ranked or receiving votes teams on the Bruins' schedule include #8 Hawai'i, #29 San Diego, #32 SMU and #33 Long Beach State.
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bruins rank in the Top 50 nationally in five statistical categories, coming into the week at 17th in assists per set (13.43), 28th in kills per set (14.17), 33rd in digs per set (16.81), 43rd in opponent hitting percentage (.172) and 49th in blocks per set (2.48). Individually, junior Jordan Anderson is 11th in kps (4.64), 22nd in points per set (4.92) and 40th in attacks per set (11.49).
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
UCLA comes into this week's action ranked first among conference teams in digs per set (16.81), third in assists (13.43) and kills (14.17) per set and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.172). Junior Jordan Anderson is second in kps (4.64) and points per set (4.92), junior Taylor Formico is third in dps (4.50) and freshman Zana Muno is third in aps (10.25) and 10th in dps (3.34). In addition, junior Claire Felix is seventh in hitting (.360), junior Jennie Frager is eighth in blocks per set (1.18) and sophomore Reily Buechler is 10th in kps (3.49). In Pac-12-only matches, Anderson is second in kps (4.62) and pps (4.82), Formico is second in dps (4.81) and Muno is fifth in aps (10.31), while as a team, the Bruins are first in dps (17.24).
NEWS AND NOTES
UCLA lost for just the second time in 16 matches away from Westwood on Sunday at Arizona (10-2 on road, 4-0 at neutral sites). The other loss came 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 42-0 (21-0 this year) when leading the hitting percentage battle ... the Bruins have held their opponents at a .202 hitting percentage or lower in 19 of their 22 victories ... UCLA is 21-1 (only loss vs. Oregon, 11/12) when winning the opening set, 14-1 when serving more aces than its opponent and 15-0 when winning the blocking battle ... junior Jordan Anderson has double figures in kills in six in a row and reached the 20-kill mark for the ninth time this season at Arizona State last Friday when she had 24. Anderson leads the team with 26 double-figure kills contests, including 16 of her last 17. She had season bests with 25 kills against Utah (Nov. 6) and Oregon (Oct. 23) ... sophomore Reily Buechler posted a career-high 26 kills at Arizona last Sunday, the second time this season and fourth time in her career she has reached 20 kills. Buechler has 17 double-figure kills matches and is second on the team with five double-doubles. Sunday's match was her second excellent one against the Wildcats, as she recorded 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 had her fourth double-figure kills contests this season when she returned to her hometown and had 11 at ASU ... senior Karly Drolson has all seven of her double-figure digs matches in her last nine contests, going for a season-best 16 at Arizona. She has aces in five of her last nine, including three at ASU, which tied a career high ... junior Claire Felix has at least one block solo in nine of her last 12 matches and has eight contests this season with at least five roofs. Felix, who has recorded at least four kills and one or no errors in 13 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 had nine straight double-doubles from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20 and is tops on the team with 14 double-doubles. The two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week has surpassed 40 assists in five of her last six and also has three contests this season with at least 20 digs ... junior Jennie Frager has at least five blocks in a team-high 12 matches and set a career high with three solos at ASU. Offensively, she 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 ... junior Taylor Formico has 104 digs in her last four matches, recording a UCLA career high 35 at Arizona after posting 23 in three straight. Formico has 25 double-figure digs contests and has surpassed 20 on seven occasions. She is also second with 18 service aces, producing at least one in half of her 28 matches ... senior Rachel Inouye posted a career-best 21 digs at Arizona and has double figures in digs in nine matches. She also leads the squad with 20 aces, posting a winner in five straight from Oct. 25-Nov. 6 ... freshman Kyra Rogers had a season-best 10 kills against Oregon on Nov. 12. She set career highs in hitting (.381), digs (14) and blocks (6) against Utah on Nov. 6 ... redshirt sophomore Jessyka Ngauamo has double figures in kills in five of her last six matches and posted her first career double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs at Arizona. Her career high in kills 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 USC TROJANS
USC (29-1, 17-1 Pac-12) has won seven straight matches since its only loss, a sweep at Washington on Oct. 30. Last weekend on the road, the Trojans won in four at Arizona before coming back from 2-1 down to beat Arizona State. USC is averaging 14.77 kills, 1.54 aces, 16.52 digs and 2.56 blocks per set, hitting .291 as a team. Senior Samantha Bricio is tops on the team with 5.08 kps and 79 aces and second with 2.67 dps. Freshman Alyse Ford is second with 2.75 kps, while sophomore Brittany Abercrombie is third at 2.48 kps. Freshman Baylee Johnson (7.19 assists per set) and junior Alice Pizzasegola (5.17) split the setting duties. Junior Taylor Whittingham is tops on the squad at 4.86 dps, while senior Alicia Ogoms is first with 1.47 bps.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. TROJANS
The Bruins lead the all-time series with the Trojans 60-56, but lost in three at Pauley Pavilion on Sept. 23 (25-22, 25-12, 25-19). Jordan Anderson and Haley Lawless led the Bruins in kills with seven apiece, Zana Muno had 17 assists and nine digs and Taylor Formico recorded eight digs. The Bruins are 22-21 at USC, sweeping the Trojans last Sept. 23.
SCOUTING THE STANFORD CARDINAL
Stanford (20-6, 14-4 Pac-12), which hosts Cal on Wednesday, has won three straight, winning in four against Colorado and sweeping Utah last weekend. The Cardinal are averaging 13.85 kills, 1.17 aces, 13.93 digs and 2.89 blocks per set, hitting .274 as a team. Four players are averaging at least 2.00 kps, led by freshman Hayley Hodson's 3.80 kps to go with 33 aces. Redshirt sophomore Merete Lutz is second (3.17), followed by senior Brittany Howard (2.99) and senior Jordan Burgess (2.02). Senior Madi Bugg handles the setting duties and is averaging 10.94 assists per set. Freshman Halland McKenna is tops on the squad with 3.59 dps, while senior Ivana Vanjak (1.27) and Lutz (1.26) are each averaging over a block per set.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. CARDINAL
UCLA trails the all-time series with Stanford 48-38 and has dropped six straight. The Bruins, who are 17-21 at home against the Cardinal, last beat Stanford in three in Palo Alto on Oct. 29, 2011. UCLA, which has lost three straight at home to Stanford, last won in Westwood on Sept. 23, 2011 in five.