CORALVILLE, Iowa – The UCLA women’s volleyball team suffered a five-set defeat to Iowa on Saturday night inside Xtream Arena.
Set scores were 25-16, 24-26, 22-25, 25-17, 12-15
The Bruins (15-6, 6-4 Big Ten) put together one of their strongest offensive performances of the season, hitting .353 with 75 kills, but fell in a five-set heartbreaker to Iowa (13-11, 2-8 Big Ten). UCLA outkilled the Hawkeyes 75-64 and held a .353-.288 advantage in hitting percentage, while also totaling 67 assists, 56 digs and seven service aces. Iowa countered with an 11.5-7 edge in team blocks to secure the victory.
Marianna Singletary led all players with 19 kills on a blistering .567 hitting percentage and added four blocks. Eliana Urzua contributed 16 kills on .343 hitting, while Mija Bendziute matched her career-high with 14 kills on .458 hitting along with two service aces. Maggie Li also reached double figures with 13 kills and seven digs.
At setter, Kate Duffey directed the offense with 48 assists and posted her eighth double-double of the season with 12 digs. She also added four kills, three aces and two blocks. Kat Lutz chipped in a pair of aces and 12 digs, while Vivian Hichman recorded 10 digs.
UCLA opened the match in dominant fashion, hitting .586 with 19 kills in a 25-16 first-set victory. The Bruins narrowly dropped the second and third sets by scores of 26-24 and 25-22 before responding with a convincing 25-17 win in the fourth, fueled by a 12-2 run that turned an 11-11 tie into a commanding lead. In the decisive fifth set, UCLA erased an early three-point deficit and pulled within 14-12, but Iowa held on for the 15-12 win.
The match featured 20 ties and seven lead changes.
UCLA seized control early, using a thunderous kill and block from Harwood to spark a 4-0 run and build a 9-4 lead, forcing an Iowa timeout. The Bruins continued to apply pressure, as consecutive kills from Bendziute and a spectacular dig-to-kill sequence from Li highlighted another extended run that stretched the advantage to 18-10. Duffey added a crafty dump kill and Lutz delivered an ace as UCLA cruised to a 25-15 opening-set victory. The Bruins were nearly unstoppable offensively, hitting .586 with 19 kills and just two errors in the frame.
The teams traded points through the early stages before UCLA created separation with a 3-0 run fueled by kills from Harwood and Bendziute. Another 3-0 surge, featuring a Duffey dump kill, a Lutz ace and a powerful Singletary finish, pushed the Bruins ahead 12-8 and prompted an Iowa timeout. Singletary followed with a solo block to extend the run, while a pair of kills from Urzua helped UCLA maintain a 17-12 advantage. Iowa slowly chipped away, closing within 21-19 before the Bruins earned set point at 24-21. The Hawkeyes, however, finished the set on a 5-0 run to steal a 26-24 victory and even the match.
Iowa carried that momentum into the third set, taking a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. UCLA struggled to establish a consistent offensive rhythm, hitting .216 in the frame, while the Hawkeyes maintained control down the stretch to claim a 25-22 victory and move ahead two sets to one.
Kills from Li and Harwood helped UCLA settle in early as the teams battled to a 7-7 tie. Singletary then sparked the Bruins midway through the set, recording a block and back-to-back kills during a 4-0 run that gave UCLA a 13-11 lead. The Bruins carried a 15-13 advantage into the media timeout before delivering the decisive blow with a 7-0 run. A Bendziute ace and timely kills from Urzua and Li fueled the surge, extending the lead to 20-13. UCLA never looked back, taking the set 25-17 to force a winner-take-all fifth.
Iowa opened the decisive set on a 3-0 run, but UCLA answered with four straight points behind kills from Bendziute and Singletary and a Duffey service ace. Singletary added another kill, while Urzua delivered two more to give the Bruins a 7-5 advantage. The Hawkeyes responded with a pivotal 5-0 run to move in front 10-7. Urzua stopped the momentum with a sideout kill, and Li followed with a clutch finish after a lengthy rally to trim the deficit to 10-9. Iowa eventually reached match point at 14-10, and although UCLA fought off two match points, the Hawkeyes closed out the final point to secure the match.
The Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Friday, Oct. 30 when they host No. 20 Minnesota. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (PT) on Big Ten Network.