UCLA
Loyola Marymount
#20 UCLA Swept by LMU
August 31, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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LOS ANGELES - The 20th-ranked Bruins battled back in both the second and third sets, but fell two short in each stanza and were swept by Loyola Marymount on Sunday at the John Wooden Center. Set scores were 15-25, 23-25, 27-29.
Junior Jordan Anderson was the lone Bruin in double figures in kills with 14. Sophomore Reily Buechler added eight kills, eight digs and five blocks, while redshirt junior Haley Lawless posted six kills. Redshirt sophomore Ryann Chandler notched 27 assists for UCLA (1-1) and junior Taylor Formico added nine digs, as the Bruins hit just .110 for the match.
The Bruins never led in the opening set to fall 25-15. LMU (1-1) went on runs of 6-2, 12-3 and 15-5 to start the first, and from there never saw its lead dip below eight for the remainder of the set, eventually winning by 10. Anderson paced the Bruins with a pair of kills, as the Bruins were out-hit .240 to -.111.
It looked like that LMU would comfortably win the second set, but the Bruins fought back late, only to have the Lions still go up 2-0. UCLA took its first lead of the match at 2-1, but a 14-6 run put the visitors up 15-8. With the difference still seven at 16-9, the Bruins went on an 11-4 run to even the score at 20. At 18-12, two LMU attack errors and kills by Anderson and junior Claire Felix cut the deficit to two at 18-16. With the score 20-17, back-to-back kills by Anderson and a combo block by Lawless and freshman Kyra Rogers equaled things at 20.
The teams sided out the next four, but two in a row for the Lions gave them a pair of set points. The first attempt was saved on a Buechler/Felix block, but the Lions capitalized on the second to finish the 25-23 victory. Anderson had seven of the Bruins' 12 kills, while Buechler added three. The Bruins were out-hit .158 to .105.
The third set featured 15 ties and six lead changes, as the Bruins saved four match points before eventually falling. With the Bruins up 13-9, the Lions scored four in a row to even things at 13. At 15-all, LMU netted a 5-0 run to take a 20-15 advantage. The Bruins would rally to within 21-20, but the Lions eventually got two match points at 24-22. However, a Lawless kill and a Lion attack error equaled the score at 24.
The Bruins would get a set point following a Buechler kill to make it 25-24, but LMU posted the next two to earn a third match point. A Lawless kill saved that one, and after a Lion sideout, a Felix kill equaled things at 27. However, Loyola Marymount scored the next two points and won the third 29-27 to complete its second straight sweep of UCLA. Lawless had five kills and no errors in seven attempts in the third, Anderson added five kills and Buechler posted four. Formico had five digs, as the Bruins were out-hit .350 to .286.
The Bruins travel to Honolulu next weekend for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic. UCLA will face American University on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. PT, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. PT and #18 Hawai'i on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. PT.
