No. 19 Women's Volleyball Defeats Butler in Four Sets

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ­– No. 19 UCLA women's volleyball (6-1) defeated Butler (6-6) in four sets, 3-1, at the Hinkle Fieldhouse Friday evening. Senior Zoe Fleck set a season-high with 23 digs to lead a quartet of double-digit dig performances: Charitie Luper (12), Mac May (11) and Shelby Martin (11). Set scores were 25-14, 25-19, 18-25, 25-20.
 
The Bruins held the Bulldogs to a .096 hitting percentage, marking the third time this season UCLA has held an opponent to a sub-.100 hitting percentage.
 
Mac May – who picked up her second double-double of the season – had a match-high 15 kills to push her career total to 1,620, which is just 10 behind ninth-place Annett Buckner (1,630 – 1991-94). Redshirt sophomore Anna Dodson and sophomore Iman Ndiaye both contributed eight kills and four blocks a piece.
 
In total, the Bruins recorded 12 blocks in the match with redshirt senior Emily Ryan responsible for six of them.
 
SET ONE
UCLA and Butler traded points in the beginning of the frame with neither side gaining more than a two-point lead until 7-7. After taking the lead at 8-7, a block assist by Mac May and Emily Ryan followed by a Shelby Martin service ace allowed the Bruins to go on a 6-0 run featuring three kills from May.
 
UCLA closed out the set on a 9-3 run with an ace from élan McCall and kills from McCall, Dodson and Martin.
 
SET TWO
Dodson led the Bruins with four kills in the second set and to their best hitting frame in the match (.406) with UCLA responsible for 22 of their 25 points. A match-high six blocks in the set (two solos from McCall and Ryan) stifled the Bulldogs' attackers to a .030 clip and forced seven attacking errors.
 
SET THREE
Butler setter Madison Friebel found her attackers ­at will with a .500 set percentage and 17 set assists in the third frame. Friebel's connection with Butler's Melody Davidson led to eight kills on just 17 swings.
 
McCall, May and Ndiaye all struck for three kills each.
 
SET FOUR
May performed her best in the final set for six kills on 12 swings including three of the Bruins' final seven points. Francesca Alupei ­– who was subbed in set three and played the entirety of set four -- was a perfect 4-for-4 on attack attempts with three kills, including the match-winner coming in the final set.
 
NEXT UP
The Bruins return to Hinkle Fieldhouse tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. PT to square off with Milwaukee before returning to Los Angeles for the start Pac-12 play against crosstown rival USC on Wednesday, Sept. 22.