No. 25 Huskies Serve Up Sweep Of No. 21 Bruins

Saturday, November 10

Los Angeles, CA

7:00 PM

University of Washington

17-9, 9-7Pac-12

UCLA

12-11, 7-9Pac-12

Washington

UCLA

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

November 10, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score VIDEO: Top Husky Highlights VIDEO: Pac-12 Network Recap VIDEO: Drechsel Postmatch Interview Box Score PDF

By: UW Athletic Communications

LOS ANGELES – An outstanding serving display, with a season-high 14 aces, helped the 25th-ranked Husky volleyball team to a convincing sweep of 21st-ranked UCLA at Pauley Pavilion tonight in front of 1,857 fans. The Huskies (17-9, 9-7 Pac-12) got their fourth win in a row by a 25-15, 25-22, 25-15 count, and swept the L.A. road trip for the first time since the 2014 season, avenging two defeats from back in Seattle just three weeks ago.

Washington's 14 aces were a season-high and their most since 2010 in a match against Eastern Washington. It's the most for the Dawgs against a Pac-12 opponent in the rally scoring era, going back to 2001.

"We were serving well," Head Coach Keegan Cook had to acknowledge. "It's amazing how much you can ride that roller coaster, after our match against USC where it really wasn't going our way. Really fun to see all six of our servers back there creating pressure and just taking control of the match. It felt like we were on our assignments, and mixing in aces slowed the game down and allowed us to know what was coming at us. It was such a strikingly different match from the first time around where they passed as well as I've seen them pass."

Four Huskies had three or more aces, led by Destiny Julye who served four, all during a 10-0 Husky run in the first set. Ella May Powell, Claire Hoffman, and Shayne McPherson all had three aces apiece, and Maria Bogomolova added one. The Dawgs missed only three serves against the 14 aces.

Sophomore Samantha Drechsel delivered another strong showing from the opposite, as she led with 11 kills and hit .318 with five block assists. Sophomore Lauren Sanders also was on target for the second time this week, hitting .455 with seven kills and two blocks. Kara Bajema and Hoffman had eight kills apiece.

The Huskies hit .235 with Powell setting 36 assists. Avie Niece had five kills and six blocks and McPherson had 15 digs as the Husky defense held the Bruins to a .149 attack percentage. UW held a major edge in kills, 41 to 25.

"That was one of the best matches Shayne has played in the Pac-12," said Cook. "I think after the last time we played UCLA she wanted to play again right afterwards, so for her to have that match and be so steady against some really good hitters, I'm happy for her."

UP NEXT: The Dawgs will look to keep their streak rolling at home next weekend when California visits on Friday, Nov. 16, for a 7 p.m. match and then No. 2 Stanford comes to town on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m.

SET 1: The first point of the match was put away on the right side by Drechsel. UCLA scored four straight without a kill as UW made some errors, but Hoffman broke that streak with a kill off the block. Destiny Julye fired an ace and then kept the run going with another tough serve that was overpassed and Hoffman killed it. Julye served another ace and Hoffman added yet another kill in transition for 7-4. The third ace of the run for Julye made it 8-4 and forced a Bruins timeout. Out of the break, Sanders hit down a 50-50 ball for her first kill, and then Hoffman finished again off the defense for 10-4. Julye aced UCLA again for 11-4. The Huskies finally missed long to end the 10-0 run on Julye's serve. But the Huskies then cooled off again and UCLA scored six of the next eight points and the Huskies took timeout at 13-10. Bajema ended a marathon rally after UCLA kept it alive with a kick save, and a kill from Avie Niece made it 16-12 Dawgs. Niece had two straight stuffs to extend the lead back to 18-12. McPherson then dialed up two aces in a row to make it 21-13. A stuff block from Sanders extended to 23-14. Sanders finished a slide for set point at 24-15, then Bajema killed one up the line from Powell for 25-15 to end it. The Dawgs fired six aces in the set and hit .250 while UCLA had just five kills total, hitting .087.

SET 2: Kills from Sanders and Bajema got UW going in the second set at 2-1. Powell got the most of a rejection on the right pin for 4-4. Niece had a quick kill and UCLA donated a couple serves for 7-7, but then the Bruins aced the Dawgs twice in a row for 7-10 and the Huskies took timeout. The Bruins missed serve out of the timeout and then Hoffman got an ace back Washington's way for 9-10. But then the Bruins got another ace that hit the tape and rolled straight down for 9-12. Maria Bogomolova joined the ace parade with her first and Bajema tipped over and down for a kill to tie it, 12-12. Niece killed a slide to put UW up, 13-12, capping the 4-0 run. Powell's first ace made it 15-14 Dawgs and then Bajema bounced one past the Bruins block for 16-14. A 3-0 run for UCLA tied it again at 17-17. Drechsel had a great high-hands shot for a kill off the block touch, and then Hoffman tooled the block after a great up from Bajema for 20-17, and the Bruins took time. UCLA scored the next two but Drechsel went up the right sideline for 21-19. Sanders and Drechsel then turned one back for a roof for 22-19. Drechsel then ended another great rally with a blast from the right for a third-straight point. The Bruins scored to snap the run and then aced the Dawgs for 23-21 and a UW timeout. The next UCLA serve was long for set point at 24-21. The Bruins saved one, but a perfect pass from Bajema led Powell to find Sanders who tipped over and down for the set, 25-22. The Bruins outhit the Huskies in the set, .281 to .229, but UCLA missed five serves, and UW had 15 kills to 11 and an edge in digs of 17-10.

SET 3: A Powell serve got a free ball and Drechsel finished from the right, then she and Niece teamed for a stuff followed by a Powell service ace for a quick 4-1 Husky lead. Drechsel finished again from the right to build a 7-2 lead. McPherson got a tape-assisted ace for 9-3. Hoffman served two more aces in a row for 13-6 Dawgs. The Huskies gave two back on attacking errors for 13-9 and called timeout. UCLA got one more before Bajema banged off the block from the left for 14-10. Another ace from Powell was followed by a free ball that Drechsel terminated to get the lead back to six at 17-11. A couple Bruin errors pushed it to 21-12 Dawgs and then Niece and Drechsel stuffed one on the right for 22-12, capping a 5-0 Husky run. Another blast from Drechsel got the Huskies to match point at 24-15. Hoffman hammered down the next point to clinch it, 25-15. The Huskies held UCLA to .062 in the third set while hitting .206. Drechsel hit for six kills in the third to power the offense.