LOS ANGELES – The UCLA women’s volleyball team outlasted Ohio State in five sets to earn its fifth consecutive victory on Sunday afternoon inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial.

Set scores were 25-19, 25-9, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13.

The Bruins (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten) defeated Ohio State (10-8, 3-5) in five sets behind a highly efficient offensive performance, hitting .314 with 65 kills while limiting the Buckeyes to a .245 hitting percentage. UCLA also controlled the net with a 12.5-5 advantage in team blocks, recorded 67 digs and totaled 65 assists on its 65 kills.

Maggie Li led all players with 17 kills on .441 hitting while adding seven digs and four blocks. Eliana Urzua added a season-high 14 kills and four blocks, while Marianna Singletary finished with 11 kills and five blocks. Mija Bendziute also reached double figures with 11 kills, adding two aces and three blocks.

Brooke Harwood contributed 10 kills on .304 hitting and matched the team lead with six blocks. At setter, Kate Duffey directed the offense with 54 assists while adding 13 digs for a double-double, along with two aces and two blocks.

In the back row, Kat Lutz turned in another stellar performance paced the Bruins with 17 digs and an ace, while Vivian Hickman chipped in eight digs and two service aces. Sakura Codling provided a lift off the bench with seven digs across the final two sets.

UCLA was dominant in the opening two sets, hitting .395 in the first and a blistering .593 in the second while holding Ohio State to a combined .201 hitting percentage to build a 2-0 lead. The Buckeyes answered by taking the next two frames, but the Bruins recovered in the decisive fifth, using a 5-1 run to erase an 11-10 deficit before Harwood delivered the match-winning kill at 15-13.

UCLA stormed out to a 5-1 lead, fueled by a pair of early kills from Harwood. Ohio State answered to trim the margin to 10-8, but the Bruins quickly regained control behind three kills from Li and a Duffey service ace, carrying a 15-10 advantage into the first media timeout. Urzua then found her rhythm, recording three kills during a key stretch to keep UCLA comfortably in front. The sophomore finished with seven kills in the set, while the Bruins hit .395 as a team en route to a commanding 25-19 opening-set victory.

UCLA seized control early in the second set, racing to a 6-2 lead and forcing an Ohio State timeout after a thunderous block by Singletary and Li. The duo picked up right where they left off out of the break with another stuff block, extending the Bruins' advantage to 7-2. UCLA continued to pour it on, using a 7-1 surge fueled by kills from Urzua, Singletary, and Bendziute to build a commanding 15-4 lead. Urzua stayed red-hot with two more kills late in the frame, while Bendziute added four more kills to allow UCLA to cruise to a dominant 25-9 victory. This marked the first time the Bruins held an opponent to single digits in a 25-point set since a 25-9 win over West Virginia on Sept. 13, 2019.

UCLA opened the third set with a 4-1 run, fueled by a Bendziute ace and a Li kill. Ohio State answered with a 5-0 surge to erase the deficit and move in front, 12-9. The Buckeyes carried a 15-12 advantage into the media timeout and extended the margin to 21-16, prompting a UCLA timeout. Ohio State maintained control the rest of the way, claiming the set 25-20 while holding the Bruins to a .154 hitting percentage.

Ohio State jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth, but UCLA battled back within one at 11-10 behind three Li kills during a 4-1 run. The Buckeyes led 15-12 at the media break and stretched their advantage to 17-12 before head coach Matt Werle called timeout. The Bruins responded with three straight points, highlighted by back-to-back Harwood kills, to pull within 17-15. Ohio State countered by taking four of the next five points for a 20-16 lead. UCLA mounted another rally, winning six of the next eight points to even the score at 22-22, but the Buckeyes held off the comeback and secured a 25-23 win to force a deciding fifth set.

UCLA grabbed an early 4-2 lead in the fifth after a successful Werle challenge overturned an Ohio State kill into an attacking error. A Bendziute block made it 6-3, and a Hickman ace helped cap a 4-0 run that pushed the Bruins' lead to five. Another successful Werle challenge erased an Ohio State kill and gave UCLA an 11-6 advantage. The Buckeyes responded with a 5-1 run to close within 12-11, but Bendziute delivered a critical sideout kill to restore a two-point cushion. An Ohio State service error brought up match point, and after the Buckeyes fought off the first opportunity, Harwood sealed the victory with the match-clinching kill.

The Bruins will travel to Lincoln, Neb. for a matchup against No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. (PT). The match will be nationally televised on FS1.