Thursday, November 20
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
16-11,10-7Big Ten
3
vs
2
Illinois
13-13,8-9Big Ten
1
2
3
4
5
F
Illinois
27
21
25
17
12
2
UCLA
25
25
22
25
15
3
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
UCLA Battles Back to Outlast Illinois in Five Sets
November 20, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES โย The UCLA women's volleyball team closed its home slate in dramatic fashion, grinding out a five-set victory over Illinois on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial.
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Set scores were 25-27, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12.
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Cheridyn Leverette powered the Bruin attack with 20 kills, guiding UCLA (16-11, 10-7 Big Ten) to its fourth five-set victory of the season. The Bruins have now won four of their five matches that have gone the distance in 2025.
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Libero Lola Schumacher anchored the defense by matching her career-high with 27 digs and added seven assists. Off the bench, setter Zayna Meyer contributed a gritty double-double of 24 assists and 13 digs.
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Maggie Li continued her hot streak with 16 kills and 15 digs, marking her fourth straight double-double and fifth in the last six matches. Middle blocker Marianna Singletary delivered a breakout performance, notching the first double-double of her career with 14 kills and 10 blocks.
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In the final frame, Hendrickson delivered a three-point service run, capped by an ace, to give UCLA a 6-4 edge. The Bruins led 8-5 at the switch, but Illinois chipped away to make it 10-9, prompting a UCLA timeout. Out of the break, the Bruins won a marathon rally punctuated by a Leverette kill to regain momentum at 11-9. Phekran Kong delivered a crucial kill to set up match point, and Li finished the job with her 16th kill of the night, sealing the 15-12 victory.
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Set one saw Illinois struck first with a 4-0 run to grab a 6-3 lead, but UCLA quickly answered with three straight points to even the score at 6-6. Marianna Singletary kept the Bruins close with two early kills, though the Illini held a slim 15-13 edge at the media timeout. Illinois extended its advantage to 18-14 before UCLA clawed back, a Briscoe kill and back-to-back Singletary blocks cut the deficit to one. Duffey then delivered a clutch out-of-system kill to tie the frame at 18-18. The Illini surged again, forcing a Bruin timeout at 22-19, but UCLA responded with an ace from Hendrickson and another Singletary block to tie it at 23-23. The Bruins fought off two set points, yet Illinois capitalized on UCLA's 12 attack errors to take the opener in extra points, 27-25. Leverette and Li combined for eight kills in the set.
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The Bruins came out firing in the second set, building a 5-2 lead behind two Leverette kills. Illinois countered with a 3-0 spurt to tie it at 5-5, but Li caught fire with four kills to push UCLA ahead 9-7. The Illini briefly regained momentum with four straight points, but UCLA steadied behind strong floor defense and timely swings. A 6-2 Bruin run gave them a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. Singletary dominated late, hammering six kills in the frame, while Anastasija Ivkovic added a key strike to extend the cushion to 22-19. Singletary capped the set with her sixth kill, evening the match at one apiece.
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Illinois raced out to a 5-1 lead in set three, forcing an early UCLA timeout, and stretched the margin to 13-7 with efficient offense. Leverette kept the Bruins within striking distance, tallying four kills to trim the deficit to 15-13. Illinois responded with another burst to go up 23-17, but UCLA refused to fold sa 4-0 run fueled by Leverette and Singletary pulled the Bruins within two at 23-21. The rally fell short, however, as Illinois closed out the set 25-22. UCLA struggled with seven attack errors and four service miscues, hitting just .150.
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With their backs against the wall, the Bruins seized control early. Leverette and Singletary sparked a 4-0 run to break an 8-8 tie, giving UCLA a 12-8 lead. The Bruins extended the margin to 15-10 at the media timeout, with Meyer adding a crafty setter dump to keep Illinois off balance. Leverette continued her hot hand, pounding two more kills to fuel a 4-0 closing run. UCLA dominated the frame 25-17, hitting efficiently and forcing a decisive fifth set.
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UCLA begins its three-game road trip to close out the regular season on Sat, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. (PT) when it travels to Washington. The match will be available for viewing on B1G+.
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Set scores were 25-27, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12.
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Cheridyn Leverette powered the Bruin attack with 20 kills, guiding UCLA (16-11, 10-7 Big Ten) to its fourth five-set victory of the season. The Bruins have now won four of their five matches that have gone the distance in 2025.
ย
Libero Lola Schumacher anchored the defense by matching her career-high with 27 digs and added seven assists. Off the bench, setter Zayna Meyer contributed a gritty double-double of 24 assists and 13 digs.
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Maggie Li continued her hot streak with 16 kills and 15 digs, marking her fourth straight double-double and fifth in the last six matches. Middle blocker Marianna Singletary delivered a breakout performance, notching the first double-double of her career with 14 kills and 10 blocks.
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In the final frame, Hendrickson delivered a three-point service run, capped by an ace, to give UCLA a 6-4 edge. The Bruins led 8-5 at the switch, but Illinois chipped away to make it 10-9, prompting a UCLA timeout. Out of the break, the Bruins won a marathon rally punctuated by a Leverette kill to regain momentum at 11-9. Phekran Kong delivered a crucial kill to set up match point, and Li finished the job with her 16th kill of the night, sealing the 15-12 victory.
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Set one saw Illinois struck first with a 4-0 run to grab a 6-3 lead, but UCLA quickly answered with three straight points to even the score at 6-6. Marianna Singletary kept the Bruins close with two early kills, though the Illini held a slim 15-13 edge at the media timeout. Illinois extended its advantage to 18-14 before UCLA clawed back, a Briscoe kill and back-to-back Singletary blocks cut the deficit to one. Duffey then delivered a clutch out-of-system kill to tie the frame at 18-18. The Illini surged again, forcing a Bruin timeout at 22-19, but UCLA responded with an ace from Hendrickson and another Singletary block to tie it at 23-23. The Bruins fought off two set points, yet Illinois capitalized on UCLA's 12 attack errors to take the opener in extra points, 27-25. Leverette and Li combined for eight kills in the set.
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The Bruins came out firing in the second set, building a 5-2 lead behind two Leverette kills. Illinois countered with a 3-0 spurt to tie it at 5-5, but Li caught fire with four kills to push UCLA ahead 9-7. The Illini briefly regained momentum with four straight points, but UCLA steadied behind strong floor defense and timely swings. A 6-2 Bruin run gave them a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. Singletary dominated late, hammering six kills in the frame, while Anastasija Ivkovic added a key strike to extend the cushion to 22-19. Singletary capped the set with her sixth kill, evening the match at one apiece.
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Illinois raced out to a 5-1 lead in set three, forcing an early UCLA timeout, and stretched the margin to 13-7 with efficient offense. Leverette kept the Bruins within striking distance, tallying four kills to trim the deficit to 15-13. Illinois responded with another burst to go up 23-17, but UCLA refused to fold sa 4-0 run fueled by Leverette and Singletary pulled the Bruins within two at 23-21. The rally fell short, however, as Illinois closed out the set 25-22. UCLA struggled with seven attack errors and four service miscues, hitting just .150.
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With their backs against the wall, the Bruins seized control early. Leverette and Singletary sparked a 4-0 run to break an 8-8 tie, giving UCLA a 12-8 lead. The Bruins extended the margin to 15-10 at the media timeout, with Meyer adding a crafty setter dump to keep Illinois off balance. Leverette continued her hot hand, pounding two more kills to fuel a 4-0 closing run. UCLA dominated the frame 25-17, hitting efficiently and forcing a decisive fifth set.
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UCLA begins its three-game road trip to close out the regular season on Sat, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. (PT) when it travels to Washington. The match will be available for viewing on B1G+.
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Team Stats
Illini
UCLA
Kills
61
69
Errors
26
29
Attempts
191
201
Hitting %
.183
.199
Points
76.5
84.0
Assists
55
63
Aces
4
5
Blocks
11.5
10
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
10
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballHighlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Illinois (Nov. 20, 2025)
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Saturday, November 15
Highlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Northwestern (Nov. 8, 2025)
Saturday, November 08
Highlights - UCLA W. Volleyball vs. Washington (Nov. 2, 2025)
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