COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The UCLA women’s volleyball team rallied from a set down and overcame a third-set setback to earn a hard-fought five-set victory over Maryland on Friday night at XFINITY Center.
Set scores were 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-13, 15-12.
The Bruins (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) were dominant offensively and at the net, hitting .311 with 70 kills while limiting Maryland (11-5, 1-4 Big Ten) to a .234 hitting percentage. UCLA also owned a commanding 14-5 advantage in team blocks, outdug the Terrapins 69-62 and recorded 63 assists on its 70 kills.
Maggie Li led all players with 19 kills on .357 hitting while adding three blocks. Mija Bendziute went for a career-high 14 kills in the win while Brooke Harwood also reached double figures 12 kills.
Marianna Singletary contributed 11 kills and a match-high eight blocks. Off the bench, Hazel Alevok provided a spark in the final two sets with six kills on .500 hitting and two blocks.
At setter, Kate Duffey directed the offense with 46 assists and posted a double-double with 18 digs, adding five kills on .833 hitting. Vivian Hickman added 12 digs, while Lola Schumacher collected 10 digs and a service ace before exiting the match after the third set.
Maryland claimed the opening set 25-23 despite a late UCLA rally, but the Bruins responded in the second, hitting .313 with 16 kills and five blocks in a 25-20 victory. The Terrapins regained the advantage with a 25-21 win in the third set before UCLA completely flipped the momentum in the fourth, hitting .464 and holding Maryland to -.038 hitting in a dominant 25-13 performance.
The deciding fifth set featured eight ties, but UCLA seized control behind timely kills from Singletary and Alevok. The Bruins scored six of the final 10 points and closed out the comeback victory when Harwood delivered the match-winning kill at 15-12. The match featured 29 ties and 12 lead changes across the five sets.
Maryland jumped out to an 8-6 lead and stretched its advantage to 10-6 after a 4-0 run, forcing UCLA to play from behind early. The Bruins rallied to pull within one at 14-13 and again at 20-19 after a solo block and kill from Harwood, but the Terrapins responded each time to maintain the lead. Li recorded a key block and kill to make it 23-22 to keep UCLA within striking distance, but despite fighting off one set point, the Bruins were unable to erase the deficit as Maryland closed out the frame, 25-23.
In the second set, UCLA grabbed an 8-6 lead behind a pair of blocks from Singletary and carried a 15-13 advantage into the media timeout. The Bruins began to pull away after the break, with kills from Singletary and Bendziute fueling a run that extended the lead to 19-14. Finding their rhythm offensively, UCLA hit .313 in the set while totaling five blocks on the defensive end. The Bruins maintained control the rest of the way, closing out a 25-20 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The teams traded points through the early stages of the third set before Harwood put UCLA in front with a pair of emphatic kills, giving the Bruins an 11-9 advantage. After Schumacher exited with an injury, UCLA’s defense struggled, allowing Maryland to seize the momentum and rally from behind to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. The Terrapins continued to build on their surge, extending their lead to 20-17 and forcing a UCLA timeout. Maryland maintained control down the stretch, closing out the set with a 25-21 victory.
UCLA raced to an 8-6 lead after Duffey and Singletary teamed up for a block, setting the tone early in the fourth set. Alevok provided an immediate spark off the bench, contributing a block and a kill to help the Bruins maintain a 13-10 advantage before taking a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. The Bruins' service pressure became a major factor after the break, forcing several Maryland overpasses that led to kills from Duffey and Singletary and extended the lead to 18-13. Singletary continued to dominate at the net with back-to-back blocks as UCLA controlled the remainder of the set, cruising to a 25-13 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
The teams traded points throughout the early stages of the deciding set, with Duffey delivering a crafty dump kill and Alevok contributing a pair of kills to keep the score even at 8-8. UCLA created some separation behind a Singletary kill, moving in front 11-9 and forcing a Maryland timeout. Alevok continued her strong play with another crucial kill to extend the Bruins' lead to three, prompting the Terrapins to use their final timeout. Maryland answered by closing the gap to 13-11, leading UCLA to call a timeout of its own. Out of the break, Alevok hammered home another kill to bring up match point, and Harwood delivered the finishing touch with a kill after a wild rally, sealing the five-set victory for the Bruins.
UCLA is back in action tomorrow night at Rutgers. First serve is set for 4 p.m. PT on B1G+.