LOS ANGELES – The UCLA women’s volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set match to No. 21 Minnesota on Friday night inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-19, 24-26, 19-25, 8-15.
UCLA (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) captured the opening two sets and held match point in the third before the Golden Gophers (13-6, 7-4 Big Ten) rallied to claim the final three frames and the match.
UCLA out-blocked Minnesota by a 17-11 margin and produced 56 kills, but the Golden Gophers countered with a slight edge in hitting percentage (.174 to .163) while recording eight service aces and 83 digs.
The match featured 31 ties and 12 lead changes.
Marianna Singletary led the Bruins with 13 kills and a match-high 10 block assists for the second double-double of her career. Mija Bendziute added 12 kills, three blocks and UCLA's lone service ace, while Eliana Urzua matched her with 12 kills and contributed eight blocks. Maggie Li chipped in 10 kills and four blocks as four Bruins reached double figures offensively,
At setter, Kate Duffey directed the offense with 42 assists and added 15 digs. Kat Lutz anchored the back row with a team-high 19 digs and five assists, while Ava Utterback collected seven digs and Vivian Hickman added seven more. UCLA also received key contributions off the bench from Hazel Alevok, who posted two kills and two blocks, and Jordyn Johnson, who recorded a kill and a block assist.
The Bruins erased a 24-20 deficit in the opening set with a six-point run to steal the frame, then used a balanced offensive effort and a late surge to secure the second set. Minnesota answered by winning a tight third set before taking control in the fourth and carrying that momentum into the deciding fifth set to complete the comeback victory.
Minnesota raced out to a 5-0 lead, forcing an early UCLA timeout. A kill from Li sparked a 3-0 Bruin response, highlighted by blocks from Singletary and Harwood that trimmed the deficit to 7-6. The Golden Gophers answered with a 3-0 run to go ahead 12-8, but kills from Bendziute and Brooke Harwood helped UCLA pull within one at 18-17. Minnesota stretched its lead back to three before Li delivered a pair of timely kills to keep the Bruins within striking distance. The Gophers eventually earned set point at 24-19, but UCLA mounted a stunning 7-0 surge, fighting off five set points and creating one of its own. On set point, Singletary and Bendziute combined for a block to cap the improbable 26-24 comeback victory.
Minnesota carried its momentum into the second set with an 8-2 start, but UCLA quickly responded with a 4-0 run fueled by kills from Li and Singletary. The Bruins later used another 4-0 spurt to move ahead 14-12 before Minnesota reclaimed a 17-16 edge. Li responded with back-to-back kills to put UCLA back in front, and Singletary broke a 19-19 tie with a powerful kill before adding a block on the next point. Those plays sparked a match-changing 6-0 run as the Bruins closed out the set, 25-19. UCLA hit .438 in the frame, paced by six kills from Singletary, while consecutive Bendziute-Singletary blocks sealed the win.
The third set remained tight throughout the early stages before Minnesota built an 11-8 advantage. UCLA answered with a 3-0 run, punctuated by a Bendziute kill, to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. A Harwood-Li block extended the Bruins' advantage to 17-15, but the Gophers responded with a 3-0 burst to move ahead 19-18. Minnesota reached set point at 24-22, and UCLA erased two opportunities to level the score at 24-all. The visitors, however, claimed the final two points to escape with a 26-24 victory.
UCLA jumped ahead 4-1 to open the fourth set, but Minnesota responded to take a 7-6 lead. The Gophers seized control midway through the frame, using a decisive 7-0 run to build a 16-9 advantage. Minnesota never looked back, claiming the set 25-19 to force a winner-take-all fifth.
Alevok provided an early spark in the deciding set, recording a block for a 4-2 UCLA lead before adding a kill to maintain a 5-3 advantage. Minnesota answered with a 3-0 run and later surged ahead 10-7. A Bendziute kill cut the deficit to two, but the Gophers closed the match on a 5-0 run to complete the reverse sweep.
UCLA returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 1, when it hosts No. 8 Wisconsin. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT on Big Ten Network.