UCLA Aces its Way to Sweep of Arizona

LOS ANGELES – Trailing 24-21 in the third set, No. 13 UCLA staved off three set points and went on a 5-0 run to sweep Arizona for the second time this season, 3-0, in the John Wooden Center Sunday afternoon.
 
Outside hitter Mac May sealed the Bruins' (22-4, 15-3 Pac-12) ninth home victory of the season with her career-high eighth service ace of the match against the Wildcats (15-14, 7-11 Pac-12), tying a program record previously set by both Liz Masakayan in 1983 and Bojana Todorovic in 2011. May's eight service aces are tied for second-most in the NCAA in a three-set match this season.
 
Set scores were 25-22, 25-14, 26-24.
 
In total, the Bruins earned 14 points at the service line for the most aces by a Pac-12 team in a three-set match this season.
 
Arizona opened the first set with a 9-6 lead when outside hitter Allison Jacobs – who recorded nine kills, seven digs and two service aces on Friday against Arizona State – struck for three consecutive kills to give UCLA the lead, 10-9. Jacobs led the Bruins with six kills in the set and would finish the match with 11 kills.
 
Back-to-back service aces by élan McCall gave UCLA some separation, 14-11, and two more aces from setter Shelby Martin and May helped put the set away.
 
May also led the Bruins with 13 kills (13-3-24, .417 hitting percentage) in addition to her eight aces for 21 points, eclipsing 20 points for the 12th time this season.
 
After not recording a kill in the first set, middle blocker Anna Dodson went 3-for-5 on her swings in the second with the final kill boosting UCLA out to a 17-12 lead. Four of the Bruins' last eight points in the set came by way of service aces. May was responsible for three of the last four points – all aces – in a 5-0 UCLA run to close the set.
 
Outside hitter Iman Ndiaye saw her first action in the match coming off the bench in the third set and immediately contributed, scoring the Bruins' first point. UCLA built a two-point lead, 15-13, thanks to five Arizona service errors and six points from Mac May – four off kills and two off aces – forcing a timeout by the Wildcats. Arizona proceeded to go on a 5-1 run to retake the lead, 19-16, when its 12th service error of the match returned the ball to the Bruin service line. Ndiaye scored the tying point at 24-24 for her third kill of the set (3-1-5, .400 hitting percentage), forcing the frame into extra points.
 
Graduate setter Shelby Martin notched her third kill of the match to give UCLA the lead, 25-24. Martin tallied 31 assists (10.33 assists per set) at a .544 assist percentage. Senior libero Zoe Fleck led the Bruins with 10 digs and a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 13 attempts.
 
Next Up
UCLA hosts Cal (7-22, 0-18 Pac-12) on Wednesday at noon for Senior Day in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.