University of Washington
UCLA
Down, Never Out, Huskies Rise Up To Stop Bruins
October 04, 2014 | Volleyball
SEATTLE – The fourth-ranked Husky volleyball team proved once again tonight that you can't keep good Dawgs down. Dropping the first two sets to 20th-ranked UCLA in a season already filled with memorable comebacks and marathons, the Huskies rose to the challenge and stormed back to win the final three sets to best the Bruins and remain unbeaten on the season. A season-high crowd of 4,031 gradually brought Alaska Airlines Arena to a fever pitch as Washington (15-0, 4-0 Pac-12) rallied for the 18-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, 15-10 victory.
It was the 25th consecutive victory for UW at home, continuing the second-longest home streak in history. Washington also rallied from two sets to none down for the first time since last year's Elite Eight match at USC that sent UW to the Final Four. The Huskies also extended their home winning streak over the Bruins (10-4, 1-2 Pac-12) to 12 matches going back to 2003. The Dawgs improved to 5-0 this year in five setters, and continue to play their best when it matters most.
Alaska Airlines Arena was rocking tonight as @UWVolleyball delivered in five sets. #RallyDawgs pic.twitter.com/sYd6F8yTXg
— Washington Huskies (@UWAthletics) October 4, 2014
“We had game two won, and we were making little uncharacteristic assignment plays … just sloppy at times,” said Head Coach Jim McLaughlin. “Then we settled down. I just told them they have a good heart. We have some intangibles, we're down but we can come back. We're not always going to play perfect, but we should grab onto the confidence that this type of game should give us. We just played better and got in better spots.”
In the first two sets, UCLA's All-Pac-12 senior Karsta Lowe showed the form that has her dominating the NCAA offensively, as the powerful lefty put down 16 kills by the end of the second set, and UCLA shocked the Huskies by coming back from 21-24 down to win the final five points in a row and take the second set. Suddenly, the Huskies found themselves in an 0-2 hole after it appeared they were about to get even.
“We shot ourselves in the foot in game two, so we're right there,” McLaughlin was thinking heading into intermission. “I just thought it's a great challenge, here we are, our backs are against the wall, how are we going to respond? I just wanted us to be who we are, and do the things that we're capable of doing, and not let the situation change us.”
But Washington tightened up in every phase, serving and passing more effectively and putting more pressure on the Bruins, which eventually slowed down Lowe. She still finished with 28 kills, but a number of Husky blocks and tough swings brought her attack percentage down to .143 at the end of the match. Washington, ranked second in the NCAA in blocking, wound up with 13.5 for the match compared to 6.0 for the Bruins.
Senior All-American Krista Vansant hit for 19 kills, including five on six swings in the final frame, to hit .333 for the night and add 12 digs for the double-double. Junior Lianna Sybeldon connected on 13 kills and hit .550 with five blocks. Senior All-American Kaleigh Nelson had seven kills and hit .333, while Melanie Wade and Crissy Jones led the blocking totals, with Wade rejecting seven and Jones getting six block assists.
Redshirt freshman Bailey Tanner had 26 assists and junior Katy Beals had 22, as the Huskies also overcame a big early hole in attack percentage and wound up outhitting the Bruins, .283 to .205. Junior Cassie Strickland had 13 digs to anchor the defense.
After tying the match up at two sets apiece, the Huskies went on a 4-1 run early on in the fifth set to push out to an 8-5 lead behind a Nelson kill, a Tia Scambray finish, and a block of Lowe by Sybeldon and Jones. Scambray then served another 3-0 run as Strickland bump set Vansant for a kill in transition, and Sybeldon hammered down an overpass that broke it open to 11-6. Another Vansant swing was followed by a UCLA misfire for match point at 14-8. The Bruins saved a pair, but then served out on the third chance to set off the celebration at 15-10. In the final frame, the Huskies only missed one chance of scoring off the UCLA serve, and that came off an ace that just rolled over the tape at 14-9. Washington hit .692 in the final set, with 10 kills on 13 swings and just one error, racing to the finish line ahead of the Bruins who fell to .188 in set five.
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Early in the first set, a number of errors plagued both sides. Nelson had a kill for a 6-5 lead, but UW's second kill of the match did not come until Scambray got credit after a UCLA blocking error for a 10-9 Husky lead. Scambray had another kill and Wade got her first as the offense started to pick up. A 2-0 Bruins run that gave them a one-point lead was answered by UW with a Vansant kill and a UCLA error for a 14-13 edge. Washington took a 16-15 lead, but then lots its way, especially with its passing. UCLA went back on top with a block against Scambray and then Jones missed one wide and UW needed timeout down 16-18. UCLA won a joust above the net and then Lowe had a transition kill and the Huskies had to burn their last timeout at 16-20. Again UW had a bad pass and UCLA continued its run. The 8-0 UCLA run finally ended in an unexpected way, as Vansant overpassed the serve but no Bruins picked it up and it landed for a kill. Scambray then served an ace to get UW back within 18-23. Lowe had another kill for set point at 18-24, and UCLA put away the next swing to finish it, 25-18. The Huskies hit only .067 in the set compared to .294 for the Bruins, and UW had just seven kills while UCLA totaled 17.
Sybeldon got going with her first two kills to start the second set. Wade and Scambray added slams as the teams were even through eight points. The Bruins crept out to a four-point lead at 6-10, with Sybeldon hitting one down to help break the run. Vansant connected for two in a row and then she rose up to block UCLA's Felix to get within one at 11-12. Vansant missed one to tie just wide, but came back with another heavy blow for 12-13 Bruins. A Lowe kill and a Husky miss made it 12-15, but Scambray got the serve back with a slam of a Beals set. Scambray then ended a long rally that included a diving Vansant save off the block for 14-15. A Bruins error got the Huskies level at 15-all, but UCLA sided out to keep the lead. Nelson hit from the right to tie it again. Sybeldon had two more as the teams continued swapping points to 18-all. Lowe caught the net on a swing as the Huskies moved ahead for the first time at 19-18. Vansant buried a combo set to make it 21-20, Dawgs. She then stepped back to the service line and dropped an ace short off a diving Bruin for an ace and 22-20 as the Bruins took timeout. Another tough serve led to Wade and Nelson roofing Reily Buechler out of the timeout to add one more before Lowe had a back row kill to snap the run. A long rally on the next point featured several Scambray swings before she brought one at a razor sharp angle for a point and set point at 24-21. UCLA got a block on the next point and then caught a break with an ace that rolled over the tape and down. Scambray had another tough swing on the next point and went for a tip but it was blocked down for 24-all and the Huskies called timeout. UW got a good pass but Sybeldon sailed a good set way out and UCLA suddenly had set point. The Huskies couldn't find the floor, and UCLA took control and set Lowe again for her 10th kill of the set to end it, with the Bruins finishing on a 5-0 run to win, 26-24.
Scambray began the Husky comeback attempt with an ace and then Sybeldon and Vansant blocked Lowe. Another Scambray ace made it a quick 3-0 lead. UCLA sent a free ball over on the next tough serve, and Vansant finished for 4-0 before Scambray served one too short. Jones had a right side kill and then Vansant had a solo rejection to push the lead back to four at 7-3. A back row kill from Vansant set by Beals had the Huskies up, 9-4. Wade got the crowd roaring by ending a long rally with a kill on an over-dig, and then UCLA swung long for an 11-5 Husky lead. The Bruins looked to get a run going but Sybeldon and Jones had a huge rejection of Lowe that was followed by a huge transition kill for Vansant to make it 14-8 and force a Bruins timeout. Strickland bump set Vansant for another finish to make it 16-9. Nelson had a line drive from the left to keep UW on top, 18-11, then a triple block against Lowe added one more. Scambray banged one through the hands for a kill and 20-13. The Bruins got within five, but Sybeldon answered with a quick strike for 21-15. A great dig from Vansant on a Lowe blast led to a Sybeldon finish and then UCLA misfired long for 23-16. One more hammer from Sybeldon got the Huskies to set point at 24-17. Jones and Wade then rejected the next Bruins swing to end it, 25-17. Washington rolled to a .400 hitting percentage in the third, holding UCLA to .107, as the Husky block came alive with 6.5 total blocks, and Vansant's six kills provided a lift.
Scambray finished from the right side in serve-receive to start set four, but UW missed two serves, and then UCLA served consecutive aces to build a 2-4 lead until Jones put one away. The Huskies overpassed and UCLA put it away for a 4-8 lead, and Courtney Schwan subbed in. She tapped down a UCLA mispass for a kill to slow the Bruins for a moment, but they came right back with two more to make it 5-10 and the Huskies called timeout. The Bruins added another before serving long to snap the 3-0 run. Vansant tipped for a kill and then Strickland served an ace and another tough serve produced a Bruins error as UW cut the lead to 10-13. Washington's defense dug in and forced a couple more Bruins misfires to get within two at 13-15. Vansant crushed a pipe set to the ground for 14-16, then Lowe missed wide to get UW within one, and Wade then dropped an ace straight to the court to tie it and UCLA called for time at 16-all. Buechler had a kill in serve-receive to put the Bruins back up, but Nelson answered with a well-placed shot up the line. After getting stymied once by the block, Schwan rolled one over and down to give UW a one-point lead, 18-17, then a long rally was capped by a Sybeldon and Jones rejection of Lowe for 19-17. Another short Schwan roll led to a UCLA attack error, and she then checked out to a round of applause as Scambray came back to serve. Her serve was overpassed and Sybeldon took a swing, with the Bruins setter called for a blocking error to make it 21-18, and force UCLA's last timeout. UCLA got a kill out of the break, but a repeat of the previous Husky point occurred again as Sybeldon got credit and UW led 22-19. A UCLA error made it 23-19. Lowe had a swing to cut it to two, but Wade rose up to reject it to get the Huskies to set point, 24-20. Lowe misfired out of bounds to end it, 25-20, and send it to five. Washington wound up with a .333 attack percentage and held UCLA to .128. Sybeldon killed all three of her swings as did Jones.
Washington now heads out on a crucial stretch of four road matches, starting next Friday at Corvallis against OregonState and followed by a Sunday showdown at No. 11 Oregon.
