Friday, December 8
Gainesville, FL
1:00 PM
UCLA
at
Florida (Regional Semifinals)
Senior Reily Buechler (center facing) has helped UCLA to its fourth Regional appearance in a row.
15th-Seeded Bruins Face #2 Florida on Friday
December 06, 2017 | Women's Volleyball
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NCAA Championship - Regionals
Friday, December 8
1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET
#15-seed UCLA at #2-seed Florida
TV: ESPNU
3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET
#10-seed USC vs. #7-seed Minnesota
TV: ESPN3
Saturday, December 9
3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET
Friday Winners
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats
All Matches at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
Tickets
15TH-SEEDED UCLA HEADS TO FLORIDA FOR REGIONALS
The 15th-seeded Bruins travel to Gainesville this weekend for the NCAA Regionals, facing #2-seed Florida on Friday at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET. The match will air on ESPNU. The other Regional Semifinal pits #10 USC and #7 Minnesota (3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET), with the Friday winners playing in the Regional Final on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET on ESPNU.ย
WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of the Gainesville Regional will travel to Kansas City, Mo. for the National Semifinals next Thursday, Dec. 14 and will play the winner of the Stanford Regional featuring #3-seed Stanford, #6 Texas, #11 Utah and Wisconsin. The National Championship match is set for Saturday, Dec. 16.
BRUINS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
UCLA is making its 35th appearance in the NCAA Championship and holds an all-time record of 90-31 (.744). The Bruins are making their fourth straight trip to the Regional Semifinals, advancing to their first Regional Final since 2011 last year when they played at Minnesota (lost in three). UCLA is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Regional round and holds an all-time record of 34-15 (.694). On 12 occasions, the Bruins have gone 2-0 in Regionals to advance to the National Semifinals (2011, '06, '94, '88-'92, '83-'85, '81).
BRUINS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
The Bruins are making their first trip to the state of Florida since 2000 when they opened the season with a win over a Penn State and a loss to Colorado State in Gainesville. Overall, UCLA is 15-3 in matches in the Sunshine State, including 5-2 in Gainesville. The Bruins went 2-0 in the 1994 NCAA Regional at UF en route to advancing to the National Championship match. Earlier in '94, UCLA went 2-1 in a tournament in Tallahassee. In 1972, before the invention of the NCAA, the Bruins went 8-0 in Miami to claim the program's first National Championship as a part of the Division of Girls and Women's Sports (DGWS).
FOUR BRUINS EARN AVCA ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
Four Bruins were named to the AVCA Pacific South All-Region Teams on Tuesday, as senior Sarah Sponcil and sophomore Madeleine Gates earned First Team honors, while senior Reily Buechler and junior Zana Muno picked up Honorable Mention accolades.
Sponcil was recognized on the AVCA All-Region Team for the fourth consecutive season, earning First Team honors at Loyola Marymount as a junior and sophomore and being named Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year in 2014. Buechler picked up her second consecutive All-Region Honorable Mention plaudit. Gates and Muno each earned their first All-Region honors.
Gates, who was also named All-Pac-12 Conference First Team, leads the Bruins with 1.22 blocks per set and a .349 hitting percentage, adding 2.87 kills per set, which is third on the team. The sophomore has 15 double-figure kills contests this season, reaching a career high with 22 at Stanford on Nov. 16, and has surpassed the .400 hitting plateau in 11 matches. On the defensive end, Gates has a team-best 15 matches with at least five blocks, recording a personal-best 10 in the season opener against San Diego (Aug. 25). She was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 6 after posting 13 blocks to go with 24 kills in a pair of wins over Arizona and Arizona State. Gates is fifth among conference players in hitting and seventh in bps.
Sponcil, an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention winner, is tops on the team with 11.25 assists per set and 19 double-doubles, while also ranking second with 3.35 digs per set to go with 0.54 blocks per set, 18 service aces and 52 kills. She enters the Regional round with double-doubles in 11 of her last 13 matches, including twice last weekend, producing career highs in assists (63) and digs (25) in a win at Colorado on Oct. 21. Sponcil is second in the Pac-12 in aps and ninth in dps, while also ranking 20th nationally in aps.
Buechler, who earned All-Pac-12 First Team plaudits, leads the Bruins with 3.54 kills per set, is second with 29 service aces and third with 2.63 digs per set, adding 0.45 blocks per set. The senior is first on the squad with 24 double-figure kills contests and second with 14 double-doubles. Buechler has reached the 20-kill mark five times this season, tying a career high with 26 in the NCAA Second Round against Cal Poly last Saturday. In the First Round, the senior posted a personal-best seven aces. On Nov. 25 in her fourth straight win at USC, Buechler became the 12th Bruin to reach the 1,500-kill mark. She is eighth among Pac-12 players in kps and points per set (4.08).
Muno leads the team with 4.97 digs per set, ranking second among Pac-12 liberos and 41st nationally. The junior book-ended the regular season with Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week awards on Aug. 28 and Nov. 27. In the final week of the regular season, Muno became the 24th Bruin to surpass the 1,000-dig mark. In the Bruins' last match versus Cal Poly, Muno recorded 26 digs and served a career-best four aces. She has 25 double-figure digs contests and has reached the 20-dig mark 15 times, posting a career-high 34 at Hawai'i on Aug. 27.
FIVE BRUINS EARN ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE HONORS
A total of five players were named to the All-Pac-12 Conference teams on Nov. 28, as senior Reily Buechler and sophomore Madeleine Gates earned First Team honors, senior Sarah Sponcil and freshman Mac May picked up All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades and May and Jenny Mosser were recognized on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
Buechler earned All-Pac-12 First Team plaudits for the first time after receiving Honorable Mention nods the last three years. Gates, May, Mosser and Sponcil picked up their first All-Pac-12 accolades.
NEWS AND NOTES
The Bruins' 16 aces last weekend tied with Florida and Nebraska for the most through the first two matches of the NCAA Championship. UCLA is tied for third in the NCAA Tournament in digs per set (19.57) ... senior Reily Buechler is second with eight aces through the first weekend and third in kills (5.57) and points per set (6.93), while senior Sarah Sponcil (3rd, 6.00) and junior Zana Muno (9th, 5.43) are in the Top 10 in digs per set ... UCLA hit a season-best .366 against Arizona State on Nov. 4 and is 9-1 this year when hitting .300 or better ... the Bruins served a season high nine aces in the NCAA First Round against Austin Peay and are 15-2 when out-acing their opponent ... senior Reily Buechler's 83 attempts in the Oct. 21 win at Colorado were the most swings for a Bruin since Oct. 12, 2012 when Rachael Kidder had 83 at Stanford ... Buechler had a season-best 23 kills, while freshman Jenny Mosser added a career-high 28. It was the first contest in which a pair of Bruins had at least 20 kills since Oct. 10, 2014 against Utah. Buechler was also a part of that match when she had 20 to go with Karsta Lowe's 30 ... as a team, UCLA is 31st in the nation in digs per set (17.10), 35th in kills per set (13.95) and 36th in assists per set (13.12). Sponcil is 20th in aps (11.25), while Muno is 41st in dps (4.97) ... Muno is second among Pac-12 players in dps, while Sponcil is second in aps and ninth in dps (3.35). Sophomore Madeleine Gates is fifth in hitting percentage (.349) and seventh in blocks per set (1.22), Buechler is eighth in kps (3.54) and pps (4.08) and freshman Mac May is ninth in service aces per set (0.30). As a team, the Bruins lead the way with 17.10 dps and are second in opponent hitting percentage (.190) and fourth in aps (13.12) and kps (13.95) ... on 26 occasions this season, a Bruin has served at least two aces in a match. May, the team leader in aces, has done it 11 times, junior Kyra Rogers four times, Buechler and Sponcil three times, Mosser and sophomore Savvy Simo twice and junior Zana Muno once ... the Bruins are 19-2 when leading their opponent in hitting and 16-3 when holding their foe under a .200 clip ... UCLA is 17-2 when winning the first set after intermission and 8-1 when winning the fourth set ... Rogers has at least eight kills in four of her last five matches, totaling eight against Austin Peay and nine versus Cal Poly last weekend. She hit a career-best .667 in a Nov. 19 win at California (9K-1E-12TA) and has 10 contests with a .400 hitting percentage or better. Rogers also has an ace in eight of her last 11 ... Buechler, owner of 14 double-doubles, has a team-best 24 double-figure kills matches, surpassing 20 for the fifth time this season when she tied a career high with 26 against Cal Poly. Buechler, who has 1,548 career kills, is 11th in UCLA history and 27 away from reaching the Top 10 (Kim Krull, 1,575). The senior, who served a career-high seven aces against Austin Peay, including five in a row at one point, has an ace in six of her last 10 ... Mosser has at least eight kills in seven of her last eight, including 19 at Stanford on Nov. 16. The freshman, who set a new career high with 28 kills at Colorado, has at least seven kills in 22 of her last 24. She also has at least five digs in 14 of her last 17 matches and set a career high with five blocks at Oregon State on Nov. 22 ... Muno, who became the 24th member of UCLA's 1,000-dig club at OSU (1,067 career), has double figures in digs in 19 in a row. She has registered at least 20 in 12 of her last 17 matches, posting 26 against Cal Poly. Muno recorded 28 in the Oct. 21 victory at Colorado, which is six shy of her career high of 34 at Hawai'i (Aug. 27) ... Simo went all the way around in the final two sets versus Cal Poly, registering her first 13 swings of the season and posting eight kills and only one hitting error (.538). The eight kills were two shy of her total from last season. Simo has 13 double-figure digs contests, notching 10 versus Cal Poly ... Sponcil leads the team with 19 double-doubles, including 11 of her last 13 matches and four straight. She had career highs in assists (63), digs (25) and blocks (6) in the win at Colorado. Sponcil has posted at least 40 assists in six of her last 10 and at least 15 digs in six of her last eight ... May posted her second match of the season with at least a .550 hitting percentage at OSU when she had 12 kills and just one error in 20 attempts. It was her 12th double-figure kills contest. May, the team leader in aces, has at least one in 12 of her last 17, totaling 20 during that span and two aces or more in seven of those matches ... Gates has double figures in kills in 11 of her last 13, recording a career-best 22 at Stanford. She has at least a .400 percentage in 11 contests. Defensively, Gates has a team-best 15 matches with at least five blocks, including 46 in her last 10 contests.
SCOUTING THE FLORIDA GATORS
Florida (27-1) ran its winning streak to 13 following a sweep of Alabama State and a four-set victory against Miami Florida last weekend. The Gators' lone loss of the season came on Oct. 15 at home against Kentucky. Florida is averaging 14.08 kills, 1.38 aces, 15.91 digs and 3.03 blocks per set, hitting .287. Senior Carli Snyder leads the offense with 3.46 kps and 49 aces, followed by sophomore Rachael Kramer (2.85), senior Rhamat Alhassan (2.69) and redshirt senior Shainah Joseph (2.53). Redshirt junior Allie Monserez (7.60 assists per set) and sophomore Cheyenne Huskey (4.26) split the setting duties. Senior Caroline Knop is tops with 4.53 dps, while Alhassan (1.74), Huskey (1.09) and Kramer (1.08) are each averaging over a block per set.
SCOUTING THE MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota (28-5) swept North Dakota and beat Northern Iowa in four to open the NCAA Championship. The Gophers are averaging 14.70 kills, 1.27 aces, 16.30 digs and 2.44 blocks per set, hitting .287 as a team. Three players are recording at least 2.00 kps, led by freshman Stephanie Samedy's 4.04. Sophomore Alexis Hart is second at 3.77 kps and redshirt freshman Regan Pittman is third with 2.28. Junior Samantha Seliger-Swenson quarterbacks the offense and is notching 12.22 assists per set. Senior Dalianliz Rosado is first with 4.41 dps, while senior Molly Lohman is first with 1.33 bps.ย
SCOUTING THE USC TROJANS
USC (24-9) defeated Central Arkansas in four before coming back from 2-1 down to beat San Diego in five last weekend. The Trojans are averaging 14.12 kills, 1.17 aces, 14.04 digs and 2.03 blocks per set, hitting .251 as a team. Sophomore Khalia Lanier is tops with 4.19 kps and 39 aces, senior Brittany Abercrombie is second with 3.13 kps and senior Niki Withers is third at 2.57 kps. Senior Reni Meyer-Whalley (6.21 assists per set) and sophomore Cindy Marina (5.23) are splitting the setting duties. Junior Victoria Garrick is first with 3.82 dps, while senior Jordan Dunn leads with 1.02 bps.
BRUINS VS. THE WEEKEND FIELD
The Bruins have split their six meetings with Florida. The last matchup came in Honolulu in 2006, with UCLA winning in three. All six contests between the two teams have been sweeps, including a Bruin victory in the 1992 National Semifinals in Albuquerque, their only meeting in the postseason. Florida claimed the lone matchup in Gainesville (1996) ... UCLA is 4-2 against Minnesota, with the Bruins having won all four neutral-site matchups. The other two contests have taken place in Minneapolis, including a three-set loss last season in the Regional Final ... the Bruins lead the all-time series with USC 64-57, with the teams winning on each other's home court this season. USC is up 12-10 in neutral-site matches and also 3-0 in NCAA Championship contests. The teams last met in the postseason in the 2003 Regional Final in Lincoln, Neb.
MUNO, MOSSER EARN PAC-12 WEEKLY HONORS
In the final week of conference weekly awards, the Bruins received a pair of honors, as junior Zana Muno was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Jenny Mosser was recognized as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league on Nov. 27.
Four different Bruins earned Pac-12 Conference weekly honors this season, totaling six overall awards. Muno book-ended the season with Defensive POW accolades, also picking up the honor on Aug. 28. It is also the third Pac-12 DPOW of the year for UCLA, with sophomore Madeleine Gates winning the award on Nov. 6. Mosser won the Bruins' third Pac-12 FOW of the season, with Mac May receiving the award on Aug. 28 and Sept. 25.
FIVE BRUINS NAMED TO PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Five Bruins have been named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team, as announced on Nov. 30, with sophomore Madeleine Gates earning Second Team accolades and senior Reily Buechler, juniors Zana Muno and Kyra Rogers and sophomore Savvy Simo receiving Honorable Mention nods.
To be eligible for selection to the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average, be at least a sophomore academically and appear in at least 50 percent of their team's matches.
Muno and Rogers earned Honorable Mention accolades for the second year in a row, Buechler picked up her first Pac-12 All-Academic honor and Gates and Simo received their awards in their first year eligible.
Players Mentioned
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