No. 22 Bruins Sweep Cal to Complete 2-0 Weekend
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LOS ANGELES - Senior Mac May led all players with 11 kills, adding five digs, while junior Zoe Fleck posted 10 digs, as the 22nd-ranked Bruins completed a weekend sweep of California with a three-set win on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Set scores were 25-17, 25-18, 25-19.
The Bruins (2-0) hit .296 for the match behind the setting of junior Devon Chang, who had 18 assists and eight digs, and freshman Kate Lane, who recorded 18 assists and five digs. Redshirt junior Emily Ryan notched six kills and six blocks, freshman Iman Ndiaye tallied eight kills and four blocks and freshman Allison Jacobs had six kills and five digs. Senior Sabrina Smith and junior élan McCall both added four kills.
The only time UCLA trailed in the match was during the opening points of the first set. Cal led 5-3, but three in a row for the Bruins on a May kill, a Smith/Jacobs block and a Smith kill made it 6-5 UCLA, and the home squad would not trail for the rest of the contest. The early run would end up being an 8-1 spurt for the Bruins, as Jacobs and McCall added two kills apiece. The Golden Bears (0-2) got to within one at 16-15, but the Bruins closed out the opener with a 9-2 run to win it 25-17. Ryan was a part of four of the points on a kill, a set-clinching solo block and combo roofs with McCall and Ndiaye. Jacobs added three points during the run on two kills and a solo stuff. May had five kills for the Bruins in the first, Jacobs added four and McCall posted three. Fleck tallied five digs and Lane had four. The Bruins out-hit the Golden Bears .286 to .033.
The score was even at four in the second set when the Bruins went on a 9-4 run to go up by a handful at 13-8. Cal made a run and got to within two at 19-17, but once again UCLA ended the set well, scoring six of the final seven to win it 25-18. May had three kills, including the set-clincher, in the final run. Redshirt freshman Anna Dodson teamed up on blocks with May and Ndiaye, who also had a kill during the run. May had five kills and no errors, while Smith was 3-for-4 with no miscues. Fleck added five digs and Chang had four. The Bruins out-hit the Bears .297 to .222.
The teams exchanged the first 12 points of set three before a Jacobs kill and ace, a Dodson solo block and a Cal attack error during a 4-1 run put the Bruins ahead 10-7. The Golden Bears would get no closer than one the rest of the way. At 21-19, the Bruins wrapped up the match with four in a row on a Cal service error, a May ace, a McCall kill and a Cal attack error to win it 25-19. Ryan was 4-for-6 with no errors in the third, while Ndiaye added four kills. May posted four digs. The Bruins out-hit Cal .308 to .185.
The Bruins are on the road next weekend, traveling to Eugene to take on Oregon. The two-match series will be played on Friday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. (TV: Pac-12 Network Oregon) and on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. (TV: Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Oregon).