WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The UCLA women’s volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to Purdue on Saturday night at Holloway Gymnasium.
Set scores were 25-22, 19-25, 16-25, 22-25.
The Bruins (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) held an advantage at the net with 14.5 team blocks compared to Purdue's (16-7, 9-5 Big Ten) 11.0, but the Boilermakers hit .273 for the match and finished with a 69-49 edge in kills. UCLA recorded a .208 hitting percentage, 60 digs and one service ace in the loss.
Despite the defeat, UCLA clinched a spot in the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament due to other results around the league.
Eliana Urzua led the Bruins with a season-high 17 kills on .342 hitting while adding two blocks. Marianna Singletary contributed 10 kills and matched a team-high with seven blocks, while Maggie Li added nine kills, 14 digs and four blocks. Jordyn Johnson posted five kills on .400 hitting and seven blocks, and Hazel Alevok chipped in five kills and six blocks off the bench.
At setter, Kate Duffey paced the offense with 28 assists, while Ava Sarafa added 15 assists and nine digs. Defensively, Kat Lutz anchored the back row with a match-high 25 digs and also recorded UCLA's lone service ace.
Purdue opened the contest on a 3-0 run before a kill from Li halted the early surge. The Bruins responded behind Li's offensive firepower, as she delivered four kills during a stretch that, coupled with a key block from Alevok, helped UCLA move in front 12-10. Purdue answered to reclaim a 15-14 edge at the first media timeout.
UCLA seized control late in the set with a pivotal 5-0 run, turning a deficit into a 21-19 lead. Alevok sparked the rally with a kill before Johnson energized the Bruins with a massive solo block. Li then capitalized on an overpass to put UCLA ahead, and Johnson followed with another rejection to extend the advantage to 22-20. The Bruin block continued to dictate play down the stretch, producing two more stuffs as UCLA closed out the opening frame, 25-22. UCLA totaled six blocks in the set, with Alevok and Johnson contributing three apiece. Li also knocked down five kills in the set.
The Bruins' blocking presence remained a major factor in the second set, accounting for three of UCLA's first five points. Li stayed hot offensively, recording a kill to even the score at 7-7. Despite the Bruins' early momentum, Purdue used a late push to take a 15-12 advantage into the media timeout. UCLA answered with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a block from Singletary and Li and an ace from Lutz, to pull even at 17-17. The Boilermakers, however, regained control down the stretch, winning eight of the final 10 points to claim the set, 25-19.
Johnson hammered down a pair of kills midway through the set to help UCLA stay within striking distance, trimming Purdue's lead to 13-12. The Boilermakers, however, took control of the frame late, closing on a decisive 6-1 run. Purdue was highly efficient offensively, hitting .444 as a team in the set en route to a 25-16 victory.
Purdue built a 15-12 lead at the media break in the fourth set. Purdue appeared to seize control late in the set, stretching its lead to 19-16 and then 23-20 behind key kills from Grace Heaney, Addy Tindall, and Kate Hansen. UCLA fought back with kills from Urzua and Li, trimming the deficit to one at 20-19 and later staving off a set point at 24-21. However, a Purdue service ace helped create separation, and after another Urzua kill kept the Bruins alive at 24-22, Tindall delivered the decisive kill to secure the 25-22 set victory for the Boilermakers.
The Bruins return to Westwood on Nov. 12 for an 11 a.m. (PT) matchup against No. 18 Washington. The contest will be available for viewing on B1G+.