EL PASO, Texas – No. 24 UCLA women's volleyball opened the Sun City Classic with a statement sweep, taking down UTEP in straight sets Thursday night at Memorial Gym to get back in the win column.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-20, 25-20.
The Bruins (2-3) delivered their most efficient offensive performance of the season, hitting at a sharp .330 clip. Behind relentless serving pressure, UCLA consistently disrupted UTEP's rhythm and held the previously unbeaten Miners (6-1) to a .244 hitting percentage, well below their season average of .307. With the sweep, UCLA hands the tournament hosts their first loss of the year.
Cheridyn Leverette shined in the win by collecting a game-high 13 kills at a stellar .400 clip. The Bruins received a huge performance from middle blocker Marianna Singletary, who tallied 10 kills (.381) with a pair of blocks.
Carly Hendrickson hit an efficient .471 while collecting a career-best nine kills while Brooklyn Briscoe connected on eight of her 12 swings on the night.
At the setter position, Kate Duffey turned in an excellent performance, setting a new career-high with 36 assists. Kat Lutz got the start at libero and racked up 10 digs to lead all players.
After UTEP briefly rallied for a 3-0 run to take an early lead in the opening set, UCLA responded with a dominant stretch fueled by an efficient offensive attack. Leverette, Singletary, and Hendrickson each delivered timely kills, and Briscoe hammered an overpass to ignite a 3-0 run that forced a UTEP timeout at 17-15. The Bruins kept their foot on the gas with a 4-0 burst punctuated by a block from Hendrickson and Singletary. Hendrickson then delivered back-to-back service aces, followed by kills from Eliana Urzua and Briscoe to close out the set. UCLA hit a blistering .438 in the frame to take the opening set for the first time this season.
UCLA battled through a back-and-forth second set before pulling away late with a decisive scoring run. The Bruins gained early momentum with a service ace from Duffey and kills from Singletary, Urzua, and Leverette. Singletary capitalized on an another UTEP overpass, and Hendrickson capped a 3-0 run to give UCLA an 11-10 lead. After UTEP responded with a run of its own, UCLA surged ahead again behind back-to-back kills Briscoe and Leverette, then strung together a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead at 19-17. Leverette, Duffey, and Singletary each added kills during an 8-2 closing stretch, and Hendrickson sealed the set with a final swing to give UCLA firm control heading into the third.
UCLA closed out the match with a dramatic and momentum-shifting final set. The Bruins jumped out to a 7-1 lead behind back-to-back kills and an ace from Leverette, along with a kill and block from Singletary, forcing a UTEP timeout. The Miners responded with a 7-0 run to take an 8-7 lead, but UCLA quickly regained control with kills from Briscoe, Hendrickson, Lutz, and Leverette. After trading runs, the Bruins broke a 17-17 tie with a decisive 6-0 burst capped by a Singletary slam off an overpass. UCLA closed the set on a 9-3 run, with Hendrickson delivering the final kill to seal the sweep.
UCLA looks to remain unbeaten at the Sun City Classic tomorrow afternoon when it faces off against Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. (PT).
Set scores were 25-18, 25-20, 25-20.
The Bruins (2-3) delivered their most efficient offensive performance of the season, hitting at a sharp .330 clip. Behind relentless serving pressure, UCLA consistently disrupted UTEP's rhythm and held the previously unbeaten Miners (6-1) to a .244 hitting percentage, well below their season average of .307. With the sweep, UCLA hands the tournament hosts their first loss of the year.
Cheridyn Leverette shined in the win by collecting a game-high 13 kills at a stellar .400 clip. The Bruins received a huge performance from middle blocker Marianna Singletary, who tallied 10 kills (.381) with a pair of blocks.
Carly Hendrickson hit an efficient .471 while collecting a career-best nine kills while Brooklyn Briscoe connected on eight of her 12 swings on the night.
At the setter position, Kate Duffey turned in an excellent performance, setting a new career-high with 36 assists. Kat Lutz got the start at libero and racked up 10 digs to lead all players.
After UTEP briefly rallied for a 3-0 run to take an early lead in the opening set, UCLA responded with a dominant stretch fueled by an efficient offensive attack. Leverette, Singletary, and Hendrickson each delivered timely kills, and Briscoe hammered an overpass to ignite a 3-0 run that forced a UTEP timeout at 17-15. The Bruins kept their foot on the gas with a 4-0 burst punctuated by a block from Hendrickson and Singletary. Hendrickson then delivered back-to-back service aces, followed by kills from Eliana Urzua and Briscoe to close out the set. UCLA hit a blistering .438 in the frame to take the opening set for the first time this season.
UCLA battled through a back-and-forth second set before pulling away late with a decisive scoring run. The Bruins gained early momentum with a service ace from Duffey and kills from Singletary, Urzua, and Leverette. Singletary capitalized on an another UTEP overpass, and Hendrickson capped a 3-0 run to give UCLA an 11-10 lead. After UTEP responded with a run of its own, UCLA surged ahead again behind back-to-back kills Briscoe and Leverette, then strung together a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead at 19-17. Leverette, Duffey, and Singletary each added kills during an 8-2 closing stretch, and Hendrickson sealed the set with a final swing to give UCLA firm control heading into the third.
UCLA closed out the match with a dramatic and momentum-shifting final set. The Bruins jumped out to a 7-1 lead behind back-to-back kills and an ace from Leverette, along with a kill and block from Singletary, forcing a UTEP timeout. The Miners responded with a 7-0 run to take an 8-7 lead, but UCLA quickly regained control with kills from Briscoe, Hendrickson, Lutz, and Leverette. After trading runs, the Bruins broke a 17-17 tie with a decisive 6-0 burst capped by a Singletary slam off an overpass. UCLA closed the set on a 9-3 run, with Hendrickson delivering the final kill to seal the sweep.
UCLA looks to remain unbeaten at the Sun City Classic tomorrow afternoon when it faces off against Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. (PT).