UCLA Outlasted by No. 3 Penn State in Five-Set Decision

Thursday, October 24

Los Angeles, CA

6:00 PM

UCLA

9-9,3-6Big Ten

No. 3 Penn State

19-1,9-0Big Ten

Penn St.

UCLA

Photo by: Jan Kim Lim

UCLA Outlasted by No. 3 Penn State in Five-Set Decision

October 24, 2024 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

LOS ANGELES – Grayce Olson recorded a career-high 20 kills as UCLA fell to No. 3 Penn State in a five-set battle on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

Set scores were 21-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-19, and 9-15.

The Bruins (9-9, 3-6) found themselves on the wrong end of a five-set decision for the fifth time this season, falling to 1-5 in matches that enter the fifth frame. Penn State (19-1, 9-0) remains unbeaten in Big Ten action while extending its win streak to 11, the second-longest active win streak in the country.

Olson highlighted UCLA's attack with a personal-best 20 kills and a hitting percentage of .279. The junior finished one dig shy of a double-double with nine on the night.

Junior Cheridyn Leverette racked up 19 kills and made it 17 consecutive matches in double-digits. Contributing nine kills was middle blocker Anna Dodson.

Setter Audrey Pak handed out a season-high 55 assists and made an impact defensively with five blocks. Libero Peyton Dueck achieved double-digit digs for the 12th consecutive match with 20 in the contest.

Leverette enjoyed a blistering start to the contest, putting down nine kills in the opening set. The outside hitter sparked a 4-0 run for the Bruins to give them their first lead at 13-12, forcing a Penn State timeout. UCLA was unable to maintain its momentum and the visitors rallied from behind to take a one-set advantage.

The Bruins held the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions to a hitting percentage of just .108 in their second-set victory. A. Dodson and Pak set the tone with an emphatic block after a long rally to push UCLA's lead to 9-7. Olson started to catch fire with back-to-back kills to make it a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. Penn State found some rhythm to muster a 3-0 run, but Olson knocked down a kill to win a crucial side out for her squad. The Bruins cruised the rest of the way and eventually tied the match when Kat Lutz delivered an ace for set point.

The Nittany Lions controlled the third frame when a 9-3 gave the visiting team a comfortable advantage. Penn State led by as many as 11 points in a set that finished 25-15.

UCLA showed its resilience in the fourth frame after Brooklyn Briscoe's involved injected some life into Pauley Pavilion. The freshman immediately contributed a block and a kill to give the Bruins an early lead. Down the stretch, kills from Leverette, Olson, and Briscoe headlined a 5-0 run to close the fourth frame victory, 25-19.

Despite carrying all of the momentum into the last set, and Olson's three consecutive kills, Penn State won eight of the last 10 points to escape with the win.

UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PT. when it hosts Michigan State. The match will be available for viewing on B1G+.