UCLA Routs Colorado in Straight Sets

LOS ANGELES -- The UCLA attack, facilitated by graduate setter Shelby Martin, was too much to handle for Colorado.
 
Every Bruin attacker who recorded a kill hit at least .368 or better in UCLA's (11-2, 4-1 Pac-12) 3-0, straight-set sweep of Colorado (11-3, 2-3 Pac-12) at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Friday night. The Bruins hit .364 for 20 kills in set one, .417 for 13 kills in set two and finished with an outstanding .464 hitting percentage for 16 kills in the final set.
 
The set scores were 25-19, 25-15 and 25-14.
 
Martin was responsible for all but four of UCLA's assisted kills in the match, finishing with 42 set assists -- tied for 2nd most in Pac-12 in three-set matches -- at a .545 clip.
 
Martin opened the match with 18 assists, seven of them directed toward graduate outside hitter Mac May who turned them into kills. Five more assists found freshman outside hitter Charitie Luper on the receiving end. Martin connected with redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna Dodson for four assisted kills and another three with freshman middle blocker Francesca Alupei.
 
Martin went to work as an attacker in the second set picking up her two kills in the match.
 
Up 13-10 in the second set, the Bruins went on runs of three points three separate times. May, coming off a career-best performance in Pullman last Sunday, closed the set with four kills for the Bruins' final six points. She led the match with 22 kills – the most by a Pac-12 player in three sets this season -- and a .405 hitting percentage for her 12th double-digit kill performance of the season.
 
UCLA had its most offensive and defensively sound set in the third when it put together a match-high .464 hitting percentage while holding Colorado to triple zeroes. Dodson, fighting a bloody nose from the second set, recorded two solo blocks and two block assists with Luper joining in. The Bruins' back row was flawless with a 1.000 reception percentage and no errors.
 
In total, six Bruins snuffed out at least three digs or more. Senior libero Zoe Fleck led the way with 12, and senior outside hitter elan McCall was right behind her with nine. The Buffaloes hit .157 one in the match and hit sub-.160 in two sets. UCLA sided out on 71.4 percent of Colorado's serves.
 
May took over down the stretch once again in the third scoring the last six Bruin points on kills.
 
Luper finished the match with eight kills. Behind May's team-high 24.5 points (22 kills, 2 service aces), Dodson was second on the team with 9.5 (6 kills, 3.5 blocks).
 
UCLA squares off with its second ranked Pac-12 foe of the weekend when it faces No. 15 Utah (11-3, 4-1 Pac-12) on Sunday at 12 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.