#11 Bruins Host #21 USC and #8 Oregon

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Match 10
Wednesday, September 20
8 p.m.
#21 USC at #11 UCLA
Pauley Pavilion
TV: ESPNU
Live Audio
Live Stats

Match 11
Friday, September 22
8 p.m.
#8 Oregon at #11 UCLA
John Wooden Center
TV: Pac-12 Networks National and Los Angeles
Live Audio
Live Stats

Twitter Updates

BRUINS OPEN PAC-12 PLAY AT HOME VS. USC, OREGON
The 11th-ranked Bruins begin Pac-12 Conference play this week with a pair of home matches. UCLA will host crosstown rival #21 USC on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion at 8 p.m. in a match which will air on ESPNU. On Friday, the Bruins entertain #8 Oregon at the John Wooden Center at 8 p.m. in a contest which will air on Pac-12 Networks National and Los Angeles. Both matches will also feature free live audio and live stats on UCLABruins.com.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins moved up two spots to 11th in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll, gaining 95 points in the standings. Eight teams ranked in the current Top 25 are on UCLA's schedule (#4 Stanford, #7 Washington, #8 Oregon, #14 Nebraska, #16 Utah, #17 San Diego, #21 USC and #25 Colorado), while Washington State is also receiving votes. In the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Poll, UCLA is fifth, receiving 83 points.

NEWS AND NOTES
Through a month of volleyball action, sophomore Madeleine Gates ranks ninth in the nation in blocks per set (1.59). Senior Sarah Sponcil is 23rd in assists per set (11.23), while junior Zana Muno is 49th in digs per set (4.86). As a team, the Bruins are 38th in bps ... Muno is second among Pac-12 players in dps, Gates (bps) and Sponcil (aps) are fourth in their respective categories, freshman Mac May is ninth in kills per set (3.32) and points per set (3.89) and junior Kyra Rogers is 10th in hitting percentage (.345). As a team, the Bruins are second in dps (15.55) ... nine times this season, a Bruin has served at least two aces in a match. May and Rogers have each done it three times, sophomore Savvy Simo has done it twice and Sponcil has done it once ... Rogers set a career high with 14 kills at Long Beach State last Friday, hitting .440 for her fourth .400-plus percentage of the season. She has three double-figure kills matches for her career, all this year, as well as three contests with a pair of aces ... senior Reily Buechler has a team-best six double-figure kills matches to give her 67 for her career, adding a pair of double-doubles (18 career). Buechler has 1,235 kills for her career and is 22nd in UCLA history. Up next on the list are Brynn Murphy (21st, 1,242), Jenny Evans (20th, 1,278) and Elisabeth Bachman (19th, 1,308) ... freshman Jenny Mosser had career highs in kills (13) and digs (11) at Long Beach State to record the first double-double of her career. She had 24 kills, 19 digs and her first two aces in last week's matches ... Muno has double figures in digs in six of her eight matches, including a career-high 34 at Hawai'i on Aug. 27. She had 34 digs in just six sets, 5.67 per set, in two matches at Nebraska two weekends ago ... Simo got the start at libero for the last two matches and had 23 digs. She had a career-high eight assists to go with seven digs against Loyola Marymount last Wednesday and then set a new personal best with 16 digs at Long Beach ... Sponcil leads the Bruins with four double-doubles after recording one against LMU to give her 45 for her career. She has at least six digs in every match and at least one block in each contest ... May produced her fourth double-figure kills match at LBSU when she had 13. She has at least six kills in every contest, including a season-high 18 at Hawai'i ... Gates has five matches with at least five blocks, producing five against LMU to go with nine kills. Her season- and career-high in blocks came in the opener against San Diego when she had 10.

SCOUTING THE USC TROJANS
USC (8-3) has won four of its last five heading into its Pac-12 opener, having defeated Arkansas, UC Santa Barbara, Yale and Oklahoma, while losing to Maryland last Thursday. The Trojans are averaging 14.17 kills, 1.15 aces, 13.76 digs and 2.21 blocks per set, hitting .289 as a team. Four players are recording at least 2.00 kps, led by sophomore Khalia Lanier's 4.28. Senior Brittany Abercrombie is second with 2.76 kps, followed by junior Alyse Ford (2.53) and senior Niki Withers (2.38). Senior Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.07 assists per set) and sophomore Cindy Marina (5.37) split the setting duties. Junior Victoria Garrick is first with 3.95 dps, while seniors Danielle Geiger (1.16) and Jordan Dunn (1.14) are each averaging over one block per set.

THE SERIES: BRUINS VS. TROJANS
UCLA leads the all-time series with USC 63-56, having won three in a row and five of its last six. The Bruins swept the season series for the second time in the last three campaigns, winning at home in five on Nov. 26 and at USC in four on Sept. 21. Three of UCLA's last four victories against the Trojans have gone the distance. The two teams have traded wins in the last six matchups in Westwood, where the Bruins hold a 29-23 edge.

SCOUTING THE OREGON DUCKS
Oregon, which was off last week, is 7-1 (six wins in a row) and will host Oregon State on Tuesday before traveling to Los Angeles. The Ducks are averaging 14.61 kills, 1.46 aces, 13.89 digs and 2.59 blocks per set, hitting .301 as a team. Six players are recording at least 2.00 kps, led by junior Lindsey Vander Weide's 3.39. Sophomore Willow Johnson is second at 2.79 kps, while senior Taylor Agost is third at 2.64. Senior Maggie Scott (6.50 assists per set) and junior August Raskie (5.21) each split the setting duties. Defensively, sophomore Brooke Van Sickle leads the way with 3.50 dps, while junior Sumeet Gill (1.36) and sophomore Ronika Stone (1.21) are each notching at least a block per set.

THE SERIES: BRUINS VS. DUCKS
A series once dominated by UCLA has seen Oregon win six of the last 10 and 10 of the last 19. The Bruins had won 46 of the first 47 matchups with the Ducks and leads the all-time series 55-11. UCLA swept the season series with Oregon in 2016, winning in four at home (Nov. 18) and in five in Eugene (Oct. 12). The teams have exchanged wins in the last five matchups at UCLA. The Bruins are 30-3 at home against the Ducks.

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#11 Bruins Host #21 USC and #8 Oregon

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Reily Buechler

Madeleine Gates

Mac May

Jenny Mosser

Zana Muno

Kyra Rogers

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Sarah Sponcil

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#11 Bruins Host #21 USC and #8 Oregon

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Madeleine Gates

Mac May

Jenny Mosser

Zana Muno

Kyra Rogers

Savvy Simo

Sarah Sponcil

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