Friday, November 24
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
UCLA
at
USC
Photo by: Jesus Ramirez
UCLA Closes Regular Season at Crosstown Rival USC
November 24, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA women's volleyball team plays its final match of the regular season against crosstown rival No. 24 USC on Friday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. (PT) in the Galen Center. The Bruins (17-12, 9-10) aim to even the season series after the Trojans (18-11, 12-7) defeated UCLA in five sets in the first meeting of the year on Sept. 20.
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UCLA is in need of one more key win to solidify its postseason resume for an at-large selection into the 2023 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.
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UCLA (17-12, 9-10) at No. 24 USC (18-11, 12-7)
Date: Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 โ 7 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
Watch: Pac-12 Los Angeles
Talent: Anne Marie Anderson (play-by-play), Holly McPeak (analyst)
Live Stats
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First Serve
ยท UCLA is led by Alfee Reft who was announced as the program's fourth head coach on Dec. 19, 2022.
ยท UCLA was ranked 58th in the latest ratings percentage index (RPI). The Bruins have defeated two teams in the top-50 of the RPI, including Washington State (13) and Pepperdine (42).
ยท The Bruins are currently sixth in the Pac-12 standings with a 9-10 conference record after defeating Oregon State this Wednesday.
ยท UCLA has won six out of its last nine contests and is playing its best stretch of volleyball since the non-conference schedule.
ยท UCLA has two wins over ranked opponents (No. 9 Washington State, 3-2, and No. 23 Hawai'i, 3-1).
ยท Other notable performances include taking USC (Sept. 20) and then-No. 2 Stanford (Nov. 17) to five sets in two tough losses.
ยท Outside hitter Iman Ndiaye leads UCLA in kills (354), kills per set (3.13), points (416.5) and points per set (3.69).
ยท Ndiaye and middle blocker Desiree Becker are the only two Bruins to appear in every set this season.
ยท Ndiaye has reached double-digit kills in 20 out of 29 matches this year, including three 20-kill performances. She leads UCLA's pin hitters with a .262 hitting percentage.
ยท Middle blockers Becker and Anna Dodson rank fifth and sixth in the Pac-12 in total blocks with 127 and 126, respectively.
ยท Becker and Dodson lead all Pac-12 blocking duos with a combined 253 total blocks.
ยท Dodson owns a team-high .380 hitting percentage and ranks fourth on the squad with 3.06 points per set.
ยท Dodson ranks third in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.380) and tied for fourth in solo blocks (22).
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Bruins Prevail in Corvallis
UCLA downed Oregon State in five sets in Corvallis, Ore. on Wednesday earlier this week. Ndiaye and Leverette both recorded career highs in kills with 23 and 19, respectively. For the second match in a row, opposite hitter Kate Lane started in the place of an injured Anna Dodson at middle blocker. All three of Lane's starts this season have been at middle blocker. Lane collected a career-high five blocks and two kills on nine attempts.
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Last Time Out Against the Trojans
UCLA lost to USC in five sets to open the conference schedule on Sept. 20. The two squads traded points a thrilling fifth set. USC had the first of three match points at the line at 14-13 when Becker shut down an attack by London Wijay with her seventh block of the night. Cheridyn Leverette tooled the USC block on the next play to turn the tables and put match point at the line for the Bruins. Trojans' pin hitter Skylar Fields put up kills on the next two plays and a USC block secured the victory. Wijay finished with a match-high 24 kills while Ndiaye led the Bruins with a double-double on 16 kills and 12 digs. Becker's most impressive offensive display this season came against the Trojans, recording an error-free 12 kills for her fourth career performance with at least 10 kills and no errors.
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Head coach Alfee Reft was absent in that meeting. Friday will mark the Oxnard, Calif. native's first time experiencing the storied rivalry in person. Reft was 1-1 in his time as an assistant against USC, winning one at San Diego and losing one at Minnesota.
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History with USC
Friday will mark the 133rd all-time meeting between longtime rivals UCLA and USC (UCLA leads 68-64) and its last as members of the Pac-12 Conference. UCLA and USC who have combined for seven NCAA Championships. UCLA won NCAA titles in 1984, '90, '91 and 2011 while USC won in 1981, 2002 and '03. Legendary Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom was the host site for the first-ever NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship in 1981 which resulted in USC defeating UCLA in the title match in five sets on Dec. 20, 1981. In total the two squads have met in the NCAA Tournament three times. The Bruins are 4-6 in their last 10 home meetings with the Trojans.
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The two programs will be making more history next season when they join the Big Ten Conference. On June 30, 2022, UCLA and USC both announced that the schools' athletic programs will be making the conference switch, beginning in 2024-25. Since that time, Oregon and Washington also made similar announcements and all four teams will compete in the Big Ten come August 2024.
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Ndiaye of the Tiger
Iman Ndiaye set a career best in kills in UCLA's last match at Oregon State with 23 at a .368 hitting percentage. Seven of those kills came in the fifth set to clinch the victory. The Dallas, Texas native also finished with a career high 24.5 points thanks to three block assists, and was one dig shy of a double-double. Three of Ndiaye's four career 20-kill performances have come in her final season as a Bruin. She hit above a .300 clip in all three of those performances. Ndiaye has led UCLA in kills in 17 of 29 matches this season, the most on the team.
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X Factor
The Bruins are 11-0 when Cheridyn Leverette records at least 10 kills for a .250 hitting percentage or better. The sophomore outside hitter set a career high at Oregon State in kills with 19 at a .500 hitting percentage (19-2-34). She now has three 20-point outings and 16 double-digit kill performances this season. She ranks second on the team with 3.20 points per set and 2.78 kills per set and is UCLA's top threat at the service line, averaging 0.24 aces per set.
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1,000 Assists for Pak
Setter Audrey Pak reached the 1,000 career assists milestone in UCLA's loss to then-No. 2 Stanford last week. This season, Pak has set career bests in assists (755), blocks (70), service aces (16) and kills (101). In UCLA's upset over then-No. 9 Washington State on Nov. 10, Pak set single-match career highs in assists (61) and points (8.0) and tied career highs in kills (4) and digs (11). The last Bruin to record 61 assists in a match was Sarah Sponcil five years ago on Nov. 16, 2017 versus Stanford. The performance also secured Pak's first double-double of the season and second of her career. Pak has been UCLA's primary setter the last 14 matches and has averaged 10.00 assists per set in that stretch.
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Paking a Punch
Pak has tallied at least 4.0 blocks in 10 matches this year and is up to 70.0 total blocks over 101 sets played. Her previous season high was 3.0 three blocks in three sets played in 2021. Pak ranks second among Pac-12 setters with 0.69 blocks per set, trailing only Washington State's Argentina Ung. Pak has recorded 6.0-plus points in three of UCLA's last five matches.
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Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
Dodson earned the first Pac-12 weekly honor of her career on Nov. 13, being named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Dodson led all Pac-12 middle blockers with 37.5 points in UCLA's two wins over then-No. 9 Washington State and Washington. She totaled 19.5 in the Bruins' upset over the Cougars and 18.0 in their victory over the Huskies. Defensively, Dodson swatted 11 blocks with five against Washington State and a team-high six versus Washington. In UCLA's upset of Washington State, she recorded a career-high 17 kills at an efficient .577 hitting percentage. Two days later at Washington, Dodson put forth another plus-.500 performance with 13 kills for .545. She had just three errors on a combined 48 swings in the two victories. Dodson has now recorded at least 10 kills for a .400 hitting percentage or better seven times this season.
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Dodson Domination
Dodson is putting together another All-Pac-12 caliber season with a team-leading .380 hitting percentage and 1.25 blocks per set.ย Both marks are currently season highs for Dodson. She has four hitting performances with no errors this season and has eclipsed a .350 hitting percentage in 14 of her 26 matches in 2023. Defensively, she ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in total blocks (126) and tied for fourth in the Pac-12 in solo blocks (21). Dodson has recorded multiple solo blocks in seven contests. Should Dodson finish with more blocks than Becker this season, she would become the first Bruin to lead the team in blocks for three consecutive campaigns since Zoë Nightingale who paced UCLA across 2012-14. Dodson swatted 109 blocks in her Fall 2021 campaign and 77 in 2022.
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Elite Duo
Becker and Dodson have combined for 253 total blocks which is the most among all Pac-12 blocking duos this season. In second is No. 7 Oregon's Kara McGhee and Karson Bacon with 250 total blocks. Dodson has established a new season-high in blocks with 126 in 2023. Becker (127 BLK) has now recorded back-to-back 100-block campaigns dating back to her time at Northwestern and is seven blocks away from surpassing her former season high of 118 set in 2022 as a Wildcat.
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Immediate Impact
Becker has been one of the most valuable transfer additions in the Pac-12 this season. The graduate from Northwestern has tallied 4.0+ blocks in 19 of 29 matches this season. At Long Beach State on Sept. 2, Becker established a new career high in total blocks with 9.0 (2 BS, 7 BA). Becker has also reached 7+ blocks in five other contests. Offensively, she has been efficient when distributed the ball with a .337 hitting percentage, which is good for 10th in the Pac-12. Becker's most impressive offensive display of the season came in UCLA's home opener versus USC on Sept. 20 in which she hit for an error-free 12 kills. It was her fourth career performance with at least 10 kills and no errors.
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Ndiaye's Best Yet
Ndiaye has recorded six of the seven highest single-match point totals of her career in this season alone. She recorded the third 20-kill outing of her career in UCLA's match at Washington State on Nov. 10 with 21 kills at a .314 clip. She is the only Bruin on the active roster to have recorded a 20-kill performance. Her first such performance came last season versus Colorado on Oct. 2, 2022 when she racked a career-high 22 kills. She also registered 20 kills in UCLA's 2023 season opener at LSU on Aug. 25.
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Defensive Improvement
Ndiaye has reached double-digit digs in nine career matches, all coming this season. She established a career high with 14 in a loss versus then-No. 15 Arizona State on Nov. 3. All five of Ndiaye's double-doubles have come in 2023, which lead the team. Her most recent double-double featured 16 kills and 12 digs came three matches ago in the Bruins' loss to Stanford on Nov. 17. Ndiaye is averaging 1.88 digs per set this season, more than quadrupling her average over the previous three seasons (0.42). She has also shattered her former season-high dig total of 51 set in 2022 with 212 in 2023.
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500 Block Club
UCLA middles Anna Dodson and Desiree Becker both achieved the 500th kills of their collegiate careers earlier this season. Dodson reached the milestone in the Bruins' second match of the season versus LSU on Aug. 26. Becker achieved the milestone in UCLA non-conference finale versus Oklahoma on Sept. 16.
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Reft, Team USA Qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics
Alfee Reft returned from his seasonal assistant coaching position with the U.S. Women's National Team on Sept. 29. He returned to UCLA after helping Team USA finish the FIVB Road to 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifier with a 6-1 record. The national team punched its ticket with a 3-1 victory over Germany. Reft serves UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer and Team USA Head Coach Karch Kiraly. In total, Reft has spent 12 years as both a player and coach on the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams. Reft will be with the Bruins for every match the remainder of the 2023 season. Associate Head Coach Jen Malcom filled in as acting head coach during Reft's absence for a record of 4-3.
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UCLA Picked Fifth
UCLA was picked to finish fifth in the annual Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll. UCLA is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Pac-12 a year ago with a 10-10 conference record. The Bruins' notable 2022 wins included a five-set comeback at then-RV Hawai'i in the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge on Sept. 4 and their lone victory over a ranked foe at then-No. 25 Washington State on Nov. 22.
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Dodson: Preseason All-Pac-12
Redshirt senior middle blocker Anna Dodson was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team for the first time in her career in 2023. Last season, Dodson was selected to the All-Pac-12 Team and AVCA Pacific South All-Region Honorable Mention after leading UCLA with a .330 hitting percentage on her 259 kills. Dodson achieved double-digit kills in 13 matches and ranked second on the team with 2.54 kills per set in her 27 starts and 102 sets played. She is UCLA's second-highest returning point scorer (259) behind outside hitter Iman Ndiaye.
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A New Era in Westwood
Reft was hired in December 2022 as the fourth head coach in program history on Dec. 18, 2022. Reft came to UCLA after leading San Diego to its first-ever National Semifinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament in his third year as associate head coach. The Oxnard, Calif. native also brings Big Ten Conference experience to UCLA after serving as an assistant at the University of Illinois from 2018-19 and at the University of Minnesota from 2010-12. He accumulated a 68-32 conference record across both stints and reached the Final Four with the Fighting Illini in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
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Notes on Ndiaye
UCLA's top returning attacker is Iman Ndiaye who ranked second on the team with 269 kills and third with 307.0 total points in 2022. Ndiaye reached double-digit kills on 14 occasions in 2022, including a career-best performance with 22 kills at a .421 clip (22-6-38) versus Colorado on Oct. 2. She is the only active UCLA player to have a 10-block match in their career. The Plano West High School product (Dallas) was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention recipient last season. She was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Freshman Team in Spring 2021.
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Dodson Selected to the USAV Collegiate National Team
Two-time All-Pac-12 middle blocker Anna Dodson received national attention this offseason when she was named to the USA Volleyball 2023 Collegiate Women's National Team (CNT). From June 18-24 in Anaheim, Calif., Dodson trained alongside the Women's National Team Olympic Champions as the prepared for the Volleyball Nations League.
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Big Ten Bound in 2024-25
UCLA Athletics announced its decision to join the Big Ten Conference on June 30, 2022. This move will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season. In doing so, the Bruins will be joining the preeminent volleyball conference in the country with five of the last 10 NCAA Women's Volleyball champions coming from the Big Ten. Joining UCLA in this move are USC, Washington and Oregon. UCLA and USC have combined for seven NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships. UCLA won 10 conference championships while in the Pac-12, all coming under Hall of Fame Coach Andy Banachowski. Overall, the Bruins have played in 38 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournaments which ranks fourth among all programs behind only Penn State, Stanford and Nebraska. In addition, UCLA has advanced to the NCAA Final Four 12 times and has posted a record of 94-35 in the NCAA Tournament.
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Glad for Grads
Two Bruins on this year's 2023 roster have earned undergraduate degrees. In Spring 2023, Dodson added two bachelor degrees to her résumé in sociology and gender studies. She now is working toward her master's degree in John Wooden's Transformative Coaching and Leadership (education major). Becker earned her bachelor of arts in history from Northwestern in 2023. She is now pursuing a master's degree in legal studies with the career objective of becoming an entertainment lawyer.
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The Résumé
ยท Two wins over top-25 opponents (No. 9 Washington State, 3-2, and No. 23 Hawai'i, 3-1).
ยท Took Stanford and USC each to five sets in two losses. The two programs are currently ranked third and 34th in the latest RPI.
ยท Defeatedย West Coast Conference regular-season champion Pepperdine in five sets on Sept. 7. Pepperdine is currently ranked 42nd in the latest RPI.
ยท Defeated both Washington State and Washington on the road in the same season for the first time since 2003.
ยท UCLA owns a 6-3 record in its last nine contests with an upward trajectory heading into the postseason.
ยท Defeated Indiana in four sets who is currently seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 9-9 conference record.
ยท Notable loss to California on Nov. 19 was without star middle blocker Anna Dodson.
ยท Notable loss to USC on Sept. 20 was without head coach Alfee Reft.
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UCLA is in need of one more key win to solidify its postseason resume for an at-large selection into the 2023 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.
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UCLA (17-12, 9-10) at No. 24 USC (18-11, 12-7)
Date: Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 โ 7 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
Watch: Pac-12 Los Angeles
Talent: Anne Marie Anderson (play-by-play), Holly McPeak (analyst)
Live Stats
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First Serve
ยท UCLA is led by Alfee Reft who was announced as the program's fourth head coach on Dec. 19, 2022.
ยท UCLA was ranked 58th in the latest ratings percentage index (RPI). The Bruins have defeated two teams in the top-50 of the RPI, including Washington State (13) and Pepperdine (42).
ยท The Bruins are currently sixth in the Pac-12 standings with a 9-10 conference record after defeating Oregon State this Wednesday.
ยท UCLA has won six out of its last nine contests and is playing its best stretch of volleyball since the non-conference schedule.
ยท UCLA has two wins over ranked opponents (No. 9 Washington State, 3-2, and No. 23 Hawai'i, 3-1).
ยท Other notable performances include taking USC (Sept. 20) and then-No. 2 Stanford (Nov. 17) to five sets in two tough losses.
ยท Outside hitter Iman Ndiaye leads UCLA in kills (354), kills per set (3.13), points (416.5) and points per set (3.69).
ยท Ndiaye and middle blocker Desiree Becker are the only two Bruins to appear in every set this season.
ยท Ndiaye has reached double-digit kills in 20 out of 29 matches this year, including three 20-kill performances. She leads UCLA's pin hitters with a .262 hitting percentage.
ยท Middle blockers Becker and Anna Dodson rank fifth and sixth in the Pac-12 in total blocks with 127 and 126, respectively.
ยท Becker and Dodson lead all Pac-12 blocking duos with a combined 253 total blocks.
ยท Dodson owns a team-high .380 hitting percentage and ranks fourth on the squad with 3.06 points per set.
ยท Dodson ranks third in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.380) and tied for fourth in solo blocks (22).
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Bruins Prevail in Corvallis
UCLA downed Oregon State in five sets in Corvallis, Ore. on Wednesday earlier this week. Ndiaye and Leverette both recorded career highs in kills with 23 and 19, respectively. For the second match in a row, opposite hitter Kate Lane started in the place of an injured Anna Dodson at middle blocker. All three of Lane's starts this season have been at middle blocker. Lane collected a career-high five blocks and two kills on nine attempts.
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Last Time Out Against the Trojans
UCLA lost to USC in five sets to open the conference schedule on Sept. 20. The two squads traded points a thrilling fifth set. USC had the first of three match points at the line at 14-13 when Becker shut down an attack by London Wijay with her seventh block of the night. Cheridyn Leverette tooled the USC block on the next play to turn the tables and put match point at the line for the Bruins. Trojans' pin hitter Skylar Fields put up kills on the next two plays and a USC block secured the victory. Wijay finished with a match-high 24 kills while Ndiaye led the Bruins with a double-double on 16 kills and 12 digs. Becker's most impressive offensive display this season came against the Trojans, recording an error-free 12 kills for her fourth career performance with at least 10 kills and no errors.
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Head coach Alfee Reft was absent in that meeting. Friday will mark the Oxnard, Calif. native's first time experiencing the storied rivalry in person. Reft was 1-1 in his time as an assistant against USC, winning one at San Diego and losing one at Minnesota.
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History with USC
Friday will mark the 133rd all-time meeting between longtime rivals UCLA and USC (UCLA leads 68-64) and its last as members of the Pac-12 Conference. UCLA and USC who have combined for seven NCAA Championships. UCLA won NCAA titles in 1984, '90, '91 and 2011 while USC won in 1981, 2002 and '03. Legendary Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom was the host site for the first-ever NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship in 1981 which resulted in USC defeating UCLA in the title match in five sets on Dec. 20, 1981. In total the two squads have met in the NCAA Tournament three times. The Bruins are 4-6 in their last 10 home meetings with the Trojans.
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The two programs will be making more history next season when they join the Big Ten Conference. On June 30, 2022, UCLA and USC both announced that the schools' athletic programs will be making the conference switch, beginning in 2024-25. Since that time, Oregon and Washington also made similar announcements and all four teams will compete in the Big Ten come August 2024.
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Ndiaye of the Tiger
Iman Ndiaye set a career best in kills in UCLA's last match at Oregon State with 23 at a .368 hitting percentage. Seven of those kills came in the fifth set to clinch the victory. The Dallas, Texas native also finished with a career high 24.5 points thanks to three block assists, and was one dig shy of a double-double. Three of Ndiaye's four career 20-kill performances have come in her final season as a Bruin. She hit above a .300 clip in all three of those performances. Ndiaye has led UCLA in kills in 17 of 29 matches this season, the most on the team.
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X Factor
The Bruins are 11-0 when Cheridyn Leverette records at least 10 kills for a .250 hitting percentage or better. The sophomore outside hitter set a career high at Oregon State in kills with 19 at a .500 hitting percentage (19-2-34). She now has three 20-point outings and 16 double-digit kill performances this season. She ranks second on the team with 3.20 points per set and 2.78 kills per set and is UCLA's top threat at the service line, averaging 0.24 aces per set.
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1,000 Assists for Pak
Setter Audrey Pak reached the 1,000 career assists milestone in UCLA's loss to then-No. 2 Stanford last week. This season, Pak has set career bests in assists (755), blocks (70), service aces (16) and kills (101). In UCLA's upset over then-No. 9 Washington State on Nov. 10, Pak set single-match career highs in assists (61) and points (8.0) and tied career highs in kills (4) and digs (11). The last Bruin to record 61 assists in a match was Sarah Sponcil five years ago on Nov. 16, 2017 versus Stanford. The performance also secured Pak's first double-double of the season and second of her career. Pak has been UCLA's primary setter the last 14 matches and has averaged 10.00 assists per set in that stretch.
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Paking a Punch
Pak has tallied at least 4.0 blocks in 10 matches this year and is up to 70.0 total blocks over 101 sets played. Her previous season high was 3.0 three blocks in three sets played in 2021. Pak ranks second among Pac-12 setters with 0.69 blocks per set, trailing only Washington State's Argentina Ung. Pak has recorded 6.0-plus points in three of UCLA's last five matches.
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Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
Dodson earned the first Pac-12 weekly honor of her career on Nov. 13, being named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Dodson led all Pac-12 middle blockers with 37.5 points in UCLA's two wins over then-No. 9 Washington State and Washington. She totaled 19.5 in the Bruins' upset over the Cougars and 18.0 in their victory over the Huskies. Defensively, Dodson swatted 11 blocks with five against Washington State and a team-high six versus Washington. In UCLA's upset of Washington State, she recorded a career-high 17 kills at an efficient .577 hitting percentage. Two days later at Washington, Dodson put forth another plus-.500 performance with 13 kills for .545. She had just three errors on a combined 48 swings in the two victories. Dodson has now recorded at least 10 kills for a .400 hitting percentage or better seven times this season.
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Dodson Domination
Dodson is putting together another All-Pac-12 caliber season with a team-leading .380 hitting percentage and 1.25 blocks per set.ย Both marks are currently season highs for Dodson. She has four hitting performances with no errors this season and has eclipsed a .350 hitting percentage in 14 of her 26 matches in 2023. Defensively, she ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in total blocks (126) and tied for fourth in the Pac-12 in solo blocks (21). Dodson has recorded multiple solo blocks in seven contests. Should Dodson finish with more blocks than Becker this season, she would become the first Bruin to lead the team in blocks for three consecutive campaigns since Zoë Nightingale who paced UCLA across 2012-14. Dodson swatted 109 blocks in her Fall 2021 campaign and 77 in 2022.
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Elite Duo
Becker and Dodson have combined for 253 total blocks which is the most among all Pac-12 blocking duos this season. In second is No. 7 Oregon's Kara McGhee and Karson Bacon with 250 total blocks. Dodson has established a new season-high in blocks with 126 in 2023. Becker (127 BLK) has now recorded back-to-back 100-block campaigns dating back to her time at Northwestern and is seven blocks away from surpassing her former season high of 118 set in 2022 as a Wildcat.
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Immediate Impact
Becker has been one of the most valuable transfer additions in the Pac-12 this season. The graduate from Northwestern has tallied 4.0+ blocks in 19 of 29 matches this season. At Long Beach State on Sept. 2, Becker established a new career high in total blocks with 9.0 (2 BS, 7 BA). Becker has also reached 7+ blocks in five other contests. Offensively, she has been efficient when distributed the ball with a .337 hitting percentage, which is good for 10th in the Pac-12. Becker's most impressive offensive display of the season came in UCLA's home opener versus USC on Sept. 20 in which she hit for an error-free 12 kills. It was her fourth career performance with at least 10 kills and no errors.
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Ndiaye's Best Yet
Ndiaye has recorded six of the seven highest single-match point totals of her career in this season alone. She recorded the third 20-kill outing of her career in UCLA's match at Washington State on Nov. 10 with 21 kills at a .314 clip. She is the only Bruin on the active roster to have recorded a 20-kill performance. Her first such performance came last season versus Colorado on Oct. 2, 2022 when she racked a career-high 22 kills. She also registered 20 kills in UCLA's 2023 season opener at LSU on Aug. 25.
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Defensive Improvement
Ndiaye has reached double-digit digs in nine career matches, all coming this season. She established a career high with 14 in a loss versus then-No. 15 Arizona State on Nov. 3. All five of Ndiaye's double-doubles have come in 2023, which lead the team. Her most recent double-double featured 16 kills and 12 digs came three matches ago in the Bruins' loss to Stanford on Nov. 17. Ndiaye is averaging 1.88 digs per set this season, more than quadrupling her average over the previous three seasons (0.42). She has also shattered her former season-high dig total of 51 set in 2022 with 212 in 2023.
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500 Block Club
UCLA middles Anna Dodson and Desiree Becker both achieved the 500th kills of their collegiate careers earlier this season. Dodson reached the milestone in the Bruins' second match of the season versus LSU on Aug. 26. Becker achieved the milestone in UCLA non-conference finale versus Oklahoma on Sept. 16.
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Reft, Team USA Qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics
Alfee Reft returned from his seasonal assistant coaching position with the U.S. Women's National Team on Sept. 29. He returned to UCLA after helping Team USA finish the FIVB Road to 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifier with a 6-1 record. The national team punched its ticket with a 3-1 victory over Germany. Reft serves UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer and Team USA Head Coach Karch Kiraly. In total, Reft has spent 12 years as both a player and coach on the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams. Reft will be with the Bruins for every match the remainder of the 2023 season. Associate Head Coach Jen Malcom filled in as acting head coach during Reft's absence for a record of 4-3.
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UCLA Picked Fifth
UCLA was picked to finish fifth in the annual Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll. UCLA is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Pac-12 a year ago with a 10-10 conference record. The Bruins' notable 2022 wins included a five-set comeback at then-RV Hawai'i in the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge on Sept. 4 and their lone victory over a ranked foe at then-No. 25 Washington State on Nov. 22.
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Dodson: Preseason All-Pac-12
Redshirt senior middle blocker Anna Dodson was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team for the first time in her career in 2023. Last season, Dodson was selected to the All-Pac-12 Team and AVCA Pacific South All-Region Honorable Mention after leading UCLA with a .330 hitting percentage on her 259 kills. Dodson achieved double-digit kills in 13 matches and ranked second on the team with 2.54 kills per set in her 27 starts and 102 sets played. She is UCLA's second-highest returning point scorer (259) behind outside hitter Iman Ndiaye.
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A New Era in Westwood
Reft was hired in December 2022 as the fourth head coach in program history on Dec. 18, 2022. Reft came to UCLA after leading San Diego to its first-ever National Semifinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament in his third year as associate head coach. The Oxnard, Calif. native also brings Big Ten Conference experience to UCLA after serving as an assistant at the University of Illinois from 2018-19 and at the University of Minnesota from 2010-12. He accumulated a 68-32 conference record across both stints and reached the Final Four with the Fighting Illini in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
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Notes on Ndiaye
UCLA's top returning attacker is Iman Ndiaye who ranked second on the team with 269 kills and third with 307.0 total points in 2022. Ndiaye reached double-digit kills on 14 occasions in 2022, including a career-best performance with 22 kills at a .421 clip (22-6-38) versus Colorado on Oct. 2. She is the only active UCLA player to have a 10-block match in their career. The Plano West High School product (Dallas) was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention recipient last season. She was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Freshman Team in Spring 2021.
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Dodson Selected to the USAV Collegiate National Team
Two-time All-Pac-12 middle blocker Anna Dodson received national attention this offseason when she was named to the USA Volleyball 2023 Collegiate Women's National Team (CNT). From June 18-24 in Anaheim, Calif., Dodson trained alongside the Women's National Team Olympic Champions as the prepared for the Volleyball Nations League.
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Big Ten Bound in 2024-25
UCLA Athletics announced its decision to join the Big Ten Conference on June 30, 2022. This move will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season. In doing so, the Bruins will be joining the preeminent volleyball conference in the country with five of the last 10 NCAA Women's Volleyball champions coming from the Big Ten. Joining UCLA in this move are USC, Washington and Oregon. UCLA and USC have combined for seven NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships. UCLA won 10 conference championships while in the Pac-12, all coming under Hall of Fame Coach Andy Banachowski. Overall, the Bruins have played in 38 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournaments which ranks fourth among all programs behind only Penn State, Stanford and Nebraska. In addition, UCLA has advanced to the NCAA Final Four 12 times and has posted a record of 94-35 in the NCAA Tournament.
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Glad for Grads
Two Bruins on this year's 2023 roster have earned undergraduate degrees. In Spring 2023, Dodson added two bachelor degrees to her résumé in sociology and gender studies. She now is working toward her master's degree in John Wooden's Transformative Coaching and Leadership (education major). Becker earned her bachelor of arts in history from Northwestern in 2023. She is now pursuing a master's degree in legal studies with the career objective of becoming an entertainment lawyer.
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The Résumé
ยท Two wins over top-25 opponents (No. 9 Washington State, 3-2, and No. 23 Hawai'i, 3-1).
ยท Took Stanford and USC each to five sets in two losses. The two programs are currently ranked third and 34th in the latest RPI.
ยท Defeatedย West Coast Conference regular-season champion Pepperdine in five sets on Sept. 7. Pepperdine is currently ranked 42nd in the latest RPI.
ยท Defeated both Washington State and Washington on the road in the same season for the first time since 2003.
ยท UCLA owns a 6-3 record in its last nine contests with an upward trajectory heading into the postseason.
ยท Defeated Indiana in four sets who is currently seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 9-9 conference record.
ยท Notable loss to California on Nov. 19 was without star middle blocker Anna Dodson.
ยท Notable loss to USC on Sept. 20 was without head coach Alfee Reft.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballHighlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Penn State (Sept. 28, 2025)
Sunday, September 28
Highlights - W. Volleyball at Ohio State (Sept. 26, 2025)
Saturday, September 27
Highlights - W. Volleyball at Ohio State (Sept. 26, 2025)
Friday, September 26
UCLA W. Volleyball Postgame - Oregon (Nov. 29, 2024)
Friday, November 29