University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bruins Entertain Lipscomb on Friday
December 02, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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Friday, Dec. 4
Santa Clara vs. Michigan - 5:30 p.m.
Lipscomb at #14-seed UCLA - 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5
Friday Winners - 7 p.m.
All Matches at John Wooden Center (Collins Court)
NCAA Tournament Central (Live Video/Live Stats Links, Ticket Info)
BRUINS HOST NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
The 14th-seeded Bruins host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend at the John Wooden Center, starting Friday with a matchup against Lipscomb at 8 p.m. Friday's first contest will feature Santa Clara and Michigan at 5:30 p.m. Friday's winners will play on Saturday at 7 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available on UCLABruins.com.
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of the Los Angeles Sub-Regional will travel to Texas next weekend for the Austin Regional and play the winner of the Austin Sub-Regional, which features #3-seed Texas, Fairfield, Purdue and SMU. The NCAA Regional Semifinals will be played at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT next Friday, Dec. 11 on ESPN3, with the NCAA Regional Final taking place next Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
BRUINS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
UCLA is making its 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament and holds an all-time record of 83-29 (.741). Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1998, the Bruins are 27-5 (.844) in the first and second rounds of the tournament, including a perfect 16-0 in the opening match. Including this season, UCLA has hosted the first and second rounds for 10 of the last 13 years. The Bruins are 20-2 (.909) in first and second round home matches since '98 and 45-6 (.882) in Westwood in NCAA Tournament contests. A list of the Bruins' past performances in the NCAA Tournament is on page 21 of this release.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins finished the regular season at 12th in the AVCA Top 25 poll. UCLA gained 92 additional points in this week's rankings.
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bruins rank in the Top 50 nationally in three statistical categories, coming into the postseason at 25th in assists per set (13.23), 37th in digs per set (16.72) and 43rd in kills per set (13.97). Individually, junior Jordan Anderson is 15th in kps (4.49), 32nd in points per set (4.76) and 43rd in attacks per set (11.32), while junior Claire Felix is 42nd in hitting percentage (.375).
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
UCLA comes into this week's action ranked second among conference teams in digs per set (16.72) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.178) and assists per set (13.23). Junior Jordan Anderson is second in kills (4.49) and points per set (4.76), junior Taylor Formico (4.57 dps) and freshman Zana Muno (10.17 aps) are each third in their respective categories, junior Claire Felix is fifth in hitting (.375) and junior Jennie Frager is ninth in blocks per set (1.11). Formico concluded Pac-12 play ranked first in dps (4.86) in conference-only matches, Anderson was second in kps (4.40), and as a team, the Bruins were first in dps (17.05).
FORMICO NAMED LIBERO OF THE YEAR
Junior Taylor Formico was named Pac-12 Libero of the Year on Tuesday, as announced by the league, and was one of six Bruins recognized on the All-Conference Teams. Junior Jordan Anderson was named All-Pac-12 First Team, while Formico and fellow juniors Claire Felix and Jennie Frager, sophomore Reily Buechler and freshman Zana Muno all earned Honorable Mention accolades. Muno was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
The six Bruins honored are tied for the most All-Conference awards in school history. The 1999 squad also had six players recognized.
The Pac-12 Libero of the Year award has been handed out since 2011 and Formico's honor is the first for the Bruins. It is Formico's second straight year she has been named All-Pac-12, earning Honorable Mention accolades in 2014. Formico has started all 30 matches and is tops on the squad with 4.57 digs per set and second with 18 service aces. She is third among Pac-12 players in dps and first in conference-only matches (4.86). Formico has 27 double-figure digs matches, surpassing 20 on nine occasions, including six in a row entering the postseason. Her season best came at Arizona on Nov. 22 when Formico posted a UCLA career high and conference-best 35 digs. She added 28 digs in last Wednesday's upset win at top-ranked USC.
Anderson picked up a First Team honor in her inaugural season in Westwood, as she leads the Bruins with 4.49 kills and 4.76 points per set, ranking second among conference players in both categories. She is also 15th in the nation in kps and 32nd in pps, adding 0.97 digs and 0.40 blocks per set. Anderson has double figures in kills in 28 of 30 matches, getting to at least 20 on nine occasions. Her season high in kills is 25, coming at Oregon on Oct. 23 and against Utah on Nov. 6. Anderson has led the team in kills in 24 contests and was named Most Valuable Player for pre-conference tournaments at Hawai'i and UCSB.
Buechler, who was All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention for the second year in a row, is second on the team with 3.40 kills and 3.76 points per set, adding 2.03 digs per set and 16 service aces. She has reached double figures in kills in 19 matches, adding an ace in 13 contests and ranking second on the team with five double-doubles. Buechler posted a pair of outstanding matches against Arizona. On Oct. 16, she notched her first career match with zero hitting errors, tallying 16 kills in 31 attempts for a .516 hitting percentage. Buechler then went for a personal-best 26 kills at Arizona on Nov. 22.
Felix received her first All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention award and leads all hitters with a .375 hitting percentage (fifth in the Pac-12 and 42nd nationally). She is also first with 25 block solos and second with 0.95 blocks per set, adding 2.00 kills, 2.61 points and 0.50 digs per set. Felix has recorded at least four kills and one or no errors in 14 contests. She has seven double-figure kills matches, ending the regular season with four in a row, including a career-best 16 against Stanford last Friday. Felix has twice hit for a .667 percentage (at Utah, Oct. 9; at USC). Defensively, she has nine matches with at least five blocks, including a season-best six on five occasions.
Frager is tops on the team with 1.11 blocks per set, which ranks ninth among Pac-12 players, adding 1.34 kills per set and 10 service aces. She has at least five blocks in a match on 12 occasions, recording a career-best nine at Long Beach State on Sept. 18, and has led the Bruins in blocks in 15 contests. Frager also has three double-figure kills outings, with her best match coming at home against Arizona State on Oct. 18 when she had a career-high 12 kills in an error-free 17 attempts for a .706 hitting percentage. It is Frager's first All-Pac-12 award.
Muno, a two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, leads the team with 10.17 assists per set (third in the Pac-12) and is second with 3.33 digs per set, adding 41 kills, 12 aces and 30 blocks. Muno is the team leader in double-doubles with 16, recording one in 11 of her last 12 matches. She reached 50 assists in four contests, posting a career-high 59 at Arizona State on Nov. 20. Muno's season best in digs came at Oregon State (Oct. 25) when she had 24, adding two other 20-plus dig contests.
NEWS AND NOTES
After playing in only one five-set match in their first 24 contests, the Bruins have gone the distance in five of their last six (2-3 record) ... UCLA is 16-2 in matches away from Westwood (12-2 on road, 4-0 at neutral sites), with the only losses coming at Washington (Nov. 1) and Arizona (Nov. 22) ... 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 20 of their 23 victories ... UCLA is 22-1 (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 eight in a row and has reached the 20-kill mark nine times. She leads the team with 28 double-figure kills contests, including 18 of her last 19. Anderson has season bests with 25 kills against Utah (Nov. 6) and Oregon (Oct. 23) ... sophomore Reily Buechler posted a career-high 26 kills at Arizona on Nov. 22, the second time this season and fourth time in her career she has reached 20 kills. Buechler has 19 double-figure kills matches and is second on the team with five double-doubles ... senior Karly Drolson has all eight of her double-figure digs matches in her last 11 contests, going for a season-best 16 at Arizona. She has five aces in her last five matches, including three at Arizona State on Nov. 20, which tied a career high ... junior Claire Felix has double figures in kills in four straight matches, including an error-free night at #1 USC last Wednesday, when she posted 10 in 15 swings (.667). Felix has recorded at least four kills and one or no errors in 14 contests. Defensively, she has at least one block solo in 10 of her last 14 matches and has nine contests this season with at least five roofs ... freshman Zana Muno has double-doubles in 11 of her last 12 matches and leads the team with 16 double-doubles. The two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week has surpassed 40 assists in six of her last seven 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 (Nov. 15). It was her third match this season with double figures in kills ... junior Taylor Formico has six straight matches with at least 20 digs, posting 156 (5.38 dps) during that stretch. Formico, who is 21 digs away from becoming the 23rd Bruin to reach 1,000 career digs, has 27 double-figure digs contests and has surpassed 20 on nine occasions. She set a UCLA career high with 35 at Arizona, adding 28 at top-ranked USC ... 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 21 aces, posting a winner in two of her last three ... redshirt sophomore Jessyka Ngauamo has three straight double-doubles, going for a career-high 17 digs against Stanford last Friday to go with 10 kills. Her season high in kills came against Colorado on Nov. 4 when she notched 19 ... prior to getting injured during the first set at Oregon (Oct. 23), 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 LIPSCOMB BISONS
Lipscomb earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament as winners of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. The Bisons went 23-8 and 13-1 in league play, winning their last 10 entering the playoffs. Lipscomb is averaging 14.44 kills, 1.08 aces, 14.37 digs and 1.67 blocks per set, hitting .253. Three players are averaging over 3.00 kps, led by freshman Carlyle Nusbaum's 3.68 kps. Seniors Brittnay Estes (3.19) and Jewell Dobson (3.14) are also each above 3.00 kps. Junior Kayla Ostrom handles the setting duties and is posting 12.11 assists per set. Sophomore Brittany Thomas is tops on the squad with 4.30 dps, while senior Molly Spitznagle is first with 0.84 bps.
SCOUTING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Michigan went 19-12 overall and 9-11 (9th) in the Big Ten to earn an at-large bid, ending the regular season on a 3-6 mark, however with all but one of those contests coming against ranked teams. The Wolverines are averaging 14.06 kills, 0.76 aces, 15.65 digs and 2.11 blocks per set, hitting .227 as a team. Junior Abby Cole (3.25) and sophomore Caroline Knop (3.01) are each averaging over 3.00 kps. Senior Carly Warner quarterbacks the offense and is posting 8.09 assists per set. Senior Tiffany Morales is first with 3.00 dps, while Cole is the leader in bps at 1.03.
SCOUTING THE SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
Santa Clara received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, going 22-8 and 13-5 in the West Coast Conference (tied for third). The Broncos, who enter the postseason with wins in four of their last six, are averaging 13.56 kills, 1.59 aces, 14.63 digs and 2.71 blocks per set. Junior Nikki Hess is tops on the team with 4.03 kps, while junior Sabrina Clayton is second at 3.34 kps. Sophomore Kirsten Mead handles the setting and is recording 11.14 assists per set. Senior Danielle Rottman is first with 4.87 dps, while senior Lacey Maas (1.36) and sophomore Jensen Cunningham (1.25) are both averaging over a block per set.
BRUINS VS. LIPSCOMB, MICHIGAN AND SANTA CLARA
The Bruins have never faced Lipscomb ... UCLA is 3-0 all-time against Michigan, winning in Ann Arbor in 1995 (3-1) and in Honolulu in both 1996 (3-1) and 2001 (3-0) ... the Bruins are 4-1 versus Santa Clara. The last meeting was in 2013 in Honolulu (3-1). The Broncos' lone win was at home in 1998 (3-1).
