#18 Bruins Host #25 Colorado, #15 Utah

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Match 24
Thursday, November 9
8 p.m.
#25 Colorado at #18 UCLA
Pauley Pavilion
TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles
Live Audio
Live Stats

Match 25
Friday, November 10
8 p.m.
#15 Utah at #18 UCLA
John Wooden Center
Live Video
Live Audio
Live Stats

Tickets

BRUINS HOST FINAL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES
The 18th-ranked Bruins play their final regular-season home matches this week, hosting #25 Colorado at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday at 8 p.m. and #15 Utah at the John Wooden Center on Friday at 8 p.m. Thursday's contest will be televised on Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles, Friday's match will be live streamed for free on UCLABruins.com and both will feature free live audio on UCLABruins.com. Seniors Reily Buechler and Sarah Sponcil will be honored prior to Friday's contest.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins head north next week for a two-match, five-day road trip, taking on #2 Stanford on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. and California on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins stayed at #18 for the second week in a row in the AVCA poll. Eight teams ranked in the current Top 25 are on UCLA's schedule (#2 Stanford, #6 Nebraska, #12 San Diego, #13 Washington, #15 Utah, #16 Oregon, #17 USC and #25 Colorado), with Oregon State also receiving votes. In the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Poll, the Bruins are fifth, receiving 83 points.

GATES PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Madeleine Gates was named Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, recording 13 blocks to go with 24 kills in two Bruin victories last week. It is the first weekly league honor in Gates' career.

Gates, who is tops on the team with 12 matches of at least five blocks, did it twice last week, posting eight against Arizona last Friday and five versus Arizona State on Saturday. Three of her 13 blocks were of the solo variety. Offensively, Gates had 13 kills against the Wildcats, producing a .478 hitting percentage, while adding 11 versus the Sun Devils with a .476 clip.

Gates, the team leader in blocks per set (1.22) and hitting percentage (.337), is the third Bruin to win Pac-12 weekly honors this season. UCLA has won four overall awards, with Mac May being named Freshman of the Week on Aug. 28 and Sept. 25 and junior Zana Muno picking up Defensive POW honors on Aug. 28. The Bruins have won 10 Pac-12 DPOW plaudits since the award was implemented in 2011.

NEWS AND NOTES
UCLA hit a season-best .366 against Arizona State last Saturday. The Bruins also tied a season high with eight aces versus Arizona last Friday, the second time this year UCLA had that many against the Wildcats ... senior Reily Buechler's 83 attempts in the Oct. 21 win at Colorado were the most swings for a Bruin since Oct. 12, 2012 when Rachael Kidder had 83 at Stanford ... Buechler had a season-best 23 kills, while freshman Jenny Mosser added a career-high 28. It was the first contest in which a pair of Bruins had at least 20 kills since Oct. 10, 2014 against Utah. Buechler was also a part of that match when she had 20 to go with Karsta Lowe's 30 ... senior Sarah Sponcil comes into this week's play ranked 38th in the nation in assists per set at 10.86 ... junior Zana Muno is second among Pac-12 liberos in dps (4.86), Sponcil is fourth in aps, sophomore Madeleine Gates is seventh in blocks per set (1.22) and ninth in hitting percentage (.337), freshman Mac May is seventh in aces per set (0.32) and Buechler is eighth in points per set (3.80) and ninth in kills per set (3.28). As a team, the Bruins are first in dps (16.40) ... on 22 occasions this season, a Bruin has served at least two aces in a match. May, the team leader in aces, has done it nine times, junior Kyra Rogers four times, Sponcil three times and Buechler, Mosser and sophomore Savvy Simo twice ... the Bruins are 13-1 when leading their opponent in hitting percentage and 10-2 when holding their foe under a .200 clip ... UCLA is 11-1 when winning the first set after intermission and 7-1 when winning the fourth set ... the Bruins are 9-1 when out-digging their opponent ... Rogers hit a career-best .600 in an Oct. 27 match at Washington State, with nine kills and no errors in 15 attempts. She has eight contests with a .400 hitting percentage or better after hitting .429 against ASU. Rogers also has an ace in 14 matches, including 11 of her last 16 ... Buechler has a team-best 18 double-figure kills matches, surpassing 20 for the second time this season at CU (had 21 vs. WSU on Oct. 1). She picked up her 10th double-double of the year at WSU, which is second on the team. Buechler, who has 1,427 career kills, is 13th in UCLA history. Next up on the list are Kidder (12th, 1,442) and Kaitlin Sather (11th, 1,501). Buechler, who served a career-high four aces at Arizona on Oct. 4, has an ace in nine of her last 11 ... Mosser set a new career high with 28 kills at Colorado, hitting .400 in the victory, giving her 11 double-figure kills contests and her first over 20. She has at least six digs in eight of her last nine matches and has a pair of double-doubles to her credit. Mosser also has four aces in her last six contests ... Muno has double figures in digs in 11 in a row, registering at least 20 in eight of her last nine. She is averaging 5.60 dps over her last nine matches. Muno recorded 28 in the Oct. 21 victory at Colorado, which is six shy of her career high of 34 at Hawai'i (Aug. 27) ... Simo has double figures in digs in seven of her last nine, averaging 2.97 dps during that span. She had 18 digs at Utah on Oct. 20, which was two shy of her career high of 20 against USC (Sept. 20). Simo also has aces in four of her last seven matches ... Sponcil had career highs in assists (63), digs (25) and blocks (6) in the win at Colorado. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles, including four of her last five. Offensively, Sponcil has eight aces across her last four matches, recording a career-best four against Arizona. She also has at least one kill in 14 matches in a row ... May has 10 double-figure kills contests, including both matches last week. In the two victories, she had 26 kills and a .561 hitting percentage, swinging at a season-best .636 versus Arizona. The team leader in aces with 25 has at least one in six in a row and eight of her last nine, recording a pair in five of those nine ... Gates, who had a team-best 16 kills at WSU, has double figures in five in a row and at least seven kills in 16 straight. Over her last three contests, the sophomore has 35 kills with a .484 hitting percentage (four errors in 64 attempts). Defensively, Gates has a team-best 12 matches with at least five blocks, including a career-high 10 against San Diego (Aug. 25).

SCOUTING THE COLORADO BUFFALOES
Since losing to the Bruins at home on Oct. 21, Colorado (19-6, 9-5 Pac-12) has won four in a row against the Oregon and Washington schools. The Buffaloes are averaging 13.80 kills, 1.06 aces, 15.29 digs and 2.34 blocks per set, hitting .253 as a team. Four players are posting at least 2.00 kps, led by junior Alexa Smith's 4.07. Junior Frankie Shebby is second at 3.34 kps, followed by junior Naghede Abu (2.15) and senior Joslyn Hayes (2.04). Freshman Brynna DeLuzio handles the setting duties and is averaging 11.05 assists per set. Junior Gabby Carta-Samuels is first on the squad with 3.72 dps, while Abu is tops with 1.22 bps.

THE SERIES: BRUINS VS. BUFFALOES
UCLA leads the all-time series with Colorado 12-3, winning its second in a row against the Buffaloes by virtue of a five-set triumph in Boulder on Oct. 21. Freshman Jenny Mosser had 28 kills and hit .400, senior Reily Buechler posted 23 kills and 12 digs, senior Sarah Sponcil added 63 assists and 25 digs and junior Zana Muno had 28 digs. The Bruins are 5-1 at home against Colorado, having won the last two in L.A., including a five-set triumph last October.

SCOUTING THE UTAH UTES
Utah (18-7, 9-5 Pac-12), which plays at USC on Thursday, has dropped four of its last five since defeating UCLA at home on Oct. 20. The Utes are averaging 14.61 kills, 0.92 aces, 15.56 digs and 2.55 blocks per set, hitting .263 as a team. Three players are recording at least 2.00 kps, led by senior Adora Anae's 4.21. Senior Carly Trueman is second at 2.72 kps, while junior Berkeley Oblad is third (2.47). Sophomore Bailey Choy handles the bulk of the setting duties and is posting 9.56 assists per set. Sophomore Brianna Doehrmann is tops on the squad with 3.21 dps, while Oblad (1.12) and senior Tawnee Luafalemana (1.18) are each averaging over a block per set.

THE SERIES: BRUINS VS. UTES
UCLA leads the all-time series with Utah 17-4, seeing its four-match winning streak versus the Utes snapped in Salt Lake City on Oct. 20. Senior Reily Buechler had 13 kills and 13 digs, freshman Jenny Mosser posted 15 kills and junior Zana Muno added 23 digs in the four-set loss. The Bruins are 6-1 at home against the Utes, having won three in a row in L.A.

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#18 Bruins Host #25 Colorado, #15 Utah

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Reily Buechler

Madeleine Gates

Mac May

Jenny Mosser

Zana Muno

Kyra Rogers

Savvy Simo

Sarah Sponcil

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

#18 Bruins Host #25 Colorado, #15 Utah

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Players Mentioned

Reily Buechler

Madeleine Gates

Mac May

Jenny Mosser

Zana Muno

Kyra Rogers

Savvy Simo

Sarah Sponcil

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