LOS ANGELES – The UCLA women’s volleyball team delivered a signature performance on Friday, Oct.16 inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial, rallying past No. 15 Penn State in a five-set thriller to secure their first ranked victory of the season.

Set scores were 25-20, 15-25, 17-25, 26-24, 15-12.

UCLA (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) opened the match by claiming the first set before Penn State (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten) answered with victories in the next two frames. Facing a 2-1 deficit, the Bruins showed their resilience in a dramatic fourth set, erasing a late deficit to force a decisive fifth. UCLA then dug out of an early hole in the final frame, closing the match on a 6-1 run to complete the comeback and capture a memorable victory over the Nittany Lions.

UCLA delivered with strong back-row play and service pressure, recording 79 digs, eight aces and 53 assists while forcing the Nittany Lions into 11 service errors.

Maggie Li paced the Bruins with 17 kills and 18.5 points, adding an ace, eight digs and a block. Brooke Harwood (11 kills) and Eliana Urzua (10 kills on .346 hitting) also reached double figures offensively for UCLA.

Marianna Singletary contributed eight kills and a team-high four blocks, while Mija Bendziute added seven kills and two blocks. Kate Duffey orchestrated the offense with 48 assists and chipped in nine digs, a kill and two blocks.

In the back row, Kat Lutz turned in a standout performance with a career-high 28 digs and four aces, while Vivian Hickman added 14 digs and three aces. Ava Utterback contributed 12 digs as the Bruins finished with 79 team digs in the comeback win.

Harwood hammered a kill straight to the floor to open the match before Li added back-to-back finishes to give UCLA an early 3-1 edge. Penn State answered with a 5-2 run to move in front, 6-5, but the Bruins quickly regained control behind Li's attack and a Lutz ace. A 4-0 surge put UCLA back ahead, 12-10, and the Bruins carried a 15-12 advantage into the media timeout, with Li already tallying five kills. Duffey’s crafty dump kill capped another 3-0 run and stretched the lead to 20-14. UCLA remained in control the rest of the way, hitting .395 with 18 kills en route to a dominant 25-10 first-set victory.

Penn State seized momentum early in the second set, racing out to a 7-1 lead and forcing a UCLA timeout. The Bruins battled back, trimming an eight-point deficit to just two at 13-11, but the Nittany Lions responded. Holding a 15-11 lead at the media break, Penn State strung together five straight points to extend its advantage to 18-11 and force UCLA’s second timeout of the frame. The Bruins struggled to find an offensive rhythm, hitting just .029 in the set, while Penn State cruised to a 25-15 win to even the match.

Penn State grabbed the early momentum, opening the third set with a 4-1 lead. UCLA answered behind a key block from Singletary and Urzua that ignited a 4-0 run and pushed the Bruins in front, 6-5. Li followed with an ace that clipped the corner to extend the advantage to 9-6, while a thunderous kill from Singletary helped UCLA maintain its momentum. The Nittany Lions responded by erasing the deficit and leveling the score at 11-11. Bendziute halted the run with a timely sideout kill, but Penn State carried a narrow one-point edge into the media timeout. The visitors continued to build separation down the stretch, extending their lead to 21-16 and forcing a UCLA timeout. The Bruins struggled to generate consistent offense, hitting .027 in the set, as Penn State claimed the frame and moved ahead two sets to one.

Penn State came out firing in the fourth set, building a 6-2 lead before UCLA responded with a 3-0 run to pull within one. The Nittany Lions maintained control and pushed their advantage to 12-7, but the Bruins refused to go away. Behind strong serving pressure from Lutz, UCLA rattled off five consecutive points to close the gap to 17-15 and shift the momentum.

The late stages of the set were packed with drama. Following a lengthy rally, Harwood and Bendziute combined for a massive block to trim the deficit to 22-20. Hickman then stepped to the service line and delivered an ace to make it 22-21, and a Penn State attack error leveled the score at 22-all. Moments later, Hickman struck again with another ace, giving UCLA its first lead since the opening stages of the set at 23-22.

With the Bruins leading 23-22, Penn State appeared to earn a sideout kill after a touch was ruled on UCLA. However, head coach Matt Werle successfully challenged the call, and the ruling was overturned, awarding the point to the Bruins and bringing up set point at 24-22. Penn State erased both set points, but UCLA answered by winning the next two rallies, capped by a decisive kill from Li, to secure the set and force a winner-take-all fifth frame.

Penn State raced to a 4-1 lead and later held an 8-5 advantage in the fifth, but UCLA stayed within striking distance behind kills from Singletary and Bendziute. A solo block from Duffey and a Penn State attack error brought the Bruins within one, though the Nittany Lions rebuilt a three-point lead at 11-8. Li answered with a sideout kill to spark the comeback, and UCLA rattled off five straight points to surge ahead 13-11, highlighted by a Lutz ace. Singletary delivered another clutch block to bring up match point, and Li sealed the comeback with the match-winning kill.

The Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. (PT). The match will be streamed on B1G+.