SALT LAKE CITY – The UCLA women’s volleyball team put together a complete performance to defeat Utah in four sets inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Sunday night.
Set scores were 25-19, 26-24, 16-25, 25-17.
The Bruins (6-2) controlled long stretches of the match behind a balanced, efficient offense and timely blocking, taking three of the four sets while hitting .233 as a team and out‑digging the Utes (5-3) 55-41.
Maggie Li was the headliner after an outstanding showing in her return from injury, leading all Bruins with 17 kills while adding eight digs and providing the go‑to swings that closed both the first and fourth sets. This marked Li’s first action since Sept. 2.
Marianna Singletary anchored UCLA’s front line with 11 kills on .476 hitting and five blocks. Mija Bendziute supplied another strong outing with 13 kills, two aces, and two blocks, while Eliana Urzua added six kills and a career-high six block assists.
Getting the start at the setter position, Kate Duffey steered UCLA with 42 assists, 14 digs, and a service ace, distributing the ball cleanly and guiding the Bruins to hitting percentages of .346 and .324 in sets one and four. In the back row, Lola Schumacher delivered a steady performance with 17 digs and a key ace in the opening set.
UCLA seized control of the opening set with a 6-0 surge, sparked by two clean transition kills each from Harwood and Li, plus a Bendziute service ace that forced an early Utah timeout and staked the Bruins to a comfortable lead. They carried that momentum through the midpoint of the frame, getting two strong swings from Bendziute and a well‑placed Schumacher ace to reach the media break up 15-11. Utah trimmed the margin to two, but UCLA responded immediately with a 4-0 run powered by Singletary, who delivered a kill and two blocks to stretch the advantage to 20-14. The Bruins rode the arm of Li in the first frame, who finished the set with five kills on eight swings, guiding UCLA to a 25-19 victory.
UCLA steadied quickly after Utah’s 4-0 start to the second, grinding back into the frame before grabbing its first lead at 11-10 and carrying a 15-12 edge into the media break behind steady side‑out swings from Bendziute and Singletary. Bendziute caught fire with six kills in the set, while Singletary added five, supplying the bulk of UCLA’s offense. Utah surged late with a 5-0 run to move ahead 20-19, but Singletary delivered a crucial sideout kill to halt the momentum, then followed with a momentum‑shifting ace to spark a 3-0 Bruin burst. Li added a heavy swing to push UCLA ahead 23-21, and after Utah fought off two set points, the Bruins closed with composure in the red zone. Bendziute earned set point with her sixth kill, and Singletary hammered the winner at 26-24 to secure the second set.
Utah controlled the third set from the opening whistle, jumping out to a 6-2 lead and then stretching the margin to 11-5, prompting a UCLA timeout. The Utes kept the pressure on with a dominant 6-0 run that blew the frame open at 20-8, and their efficiency never dipped. Utah hit .379 in the set while UCLA managed just .129. The Bruins found a few late side‑outs but were unable slow the Utes’ rhythm, and Utah closed out the frame 25-16.
UCLA closed the match with one of its sharpest stretches of the night, jumping out to a 5-1 lead and never letting Utah settle. The Bruins kept a firm grip on the frame as Li hammered a kill before Harwood and Duffey combined for a momentum‑shifting stuff to make it 13-9. Duffey then pushed the margin wider with a well‑placed ace for 17-12, and Singletary crushed a thunderous kill after a long rally to extend the lead to 19-13. From there, UCLA’s offense stayed in full command when Li delivered her 17th kill, Bendziute ripped a swing in transition, and Duffey dropped a perfectly timed dump to keep the Bruins rolling. On match point, Bendziute sealed it with an ace, closing out a composed and authoritative 25-17 fourth set.
The Bruins will conclude their nonconference slate when they travel to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the Lucky Aces Volleyball Invitational hosted at Orleans Arena from Sept. 18-20. UCLA’s first contest will take place on Friday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. (PT) against Iowa State.