#11 Bruins Drop Pac-12 Opener to #21 USC

Wednesday, September 20

Los Angeles, CA

8:00 PM

UCLA

7-3, 0-1Pac-12

USC

9-3, 1-0Pac-12

USC

UCLA

Senior Reily Buechler had her third double-double of the year on Wednesday.

Photo by: Han Duong (herewegobru.com)

#11 Bruins Drop Pac-12 Opener to #21 USC

September 20, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

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LOS ANGELES - Senior Reily Buechler had 15 kills and 19 digs to record her third double-double of the season, while freshman Jenny Mosser added 14 kills and four digs, but the 11th-ranked Bruins dropped a five-set decision to #21 USC on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion. Set scores were 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 21-25, 11-15.

Five Bruins were in double figures in kills, as freshman Mac May had 13 with five digs, four blocks and three aces, junior Kyra Rogers added 11 kills with a .409 hitting percentage and six blocks and sophomore Madeleine Gates notched 11 kills, a .400 percentage and five blocks. Senior Sarah Sponcil had 56 assists and eight digs and set the Bruins to a .301 hitting percentage. Sophomore Savvy Simo had 20 digs, junior Zana Muno added nine and redshirt junior Taylor Schlener posted five.

The Trojans (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) led wire-to-wire in set one, scoring the first three points. UCLA (7-3, 0-1) evened things at five- and six-all, but were unable to take a lead, as USC netted the next four to go up 10-6. The closest the Bruins would get the rest of the way was one, with USC's largest lead being five at 24-19, eventually posting the win by a score of 25-21. May led the Bruins with four kills, while Gates and Rogers each had three. The Bruins were out-hit .265 to .242.

Trailing 4-3 early in set two, the Bruins went on a 6-1 run to go ahead 9-5 and lead for the rest of the set. Buechler and Mosser each had two kills, Gates added one and USC had a service error. At 13-10, four in a row on three May kills and a Rogers/Buechler block made it 17-10. The Bruins would achieve their largest lead on the final point of the set, as a Rogers kill, her second in a row to end the stanza, closed up a 25-15 victory. Mosser had five kills in the second, Rogers and May each added four and Buechler and Gates both posted three. Simo had seven digs, Muno five and Buechler recorded four. The Bruins out-hit the Trojans .395 to .243.

After dropping the first three points and five of the first six of set three, the Bruins responded with a 14-4 run to go up by a score of 15-9. It was even at nine when the Bruins scored six in a row on kills by Buechler, Mosser and Sponcil, a Mosser/Rogers block and a Rogers/Sponcil block and a USC attack error. The Bruins' lead reached as high as seven, which would end up being the final margin of set three, as a Buechler/Gates block wrapped up a 25-18 victory. Buechler had four kills and eight digs in the third, Rogers added three kills and three blocks, Mosser notched three kills and Simo had seven digs, as the Bruins out-hit the Trojans .256 to .091.

UCLA never led in set four, as USC forced a fifth. The Bruins fell behind early 9-4 and could not recover, getting only to within two for the rest of the set and losing the fourth 25-21. Buechler and Mosser each had three kills, as the Bruins actually out-hit the Trojans .360 to .323. USC then raced out to a 7-1 lead in set five and never looked back in winning the fifth 15-11. The Bruins, who saved three match points before eventually falling, saw Buechler posted four kills. UCLA was out-hit .450 to .238.

The Bruins will take on Oregon on Friday at 8 p.m. at the John Wooden Center. The match will be televised by Pac-12 Networks and free live audio will be available on UCLABruins.com.