No. 9 Utah Volleyball Falls To No. 17 UCLA Down In So Cal
Despite taking sweeping Stanford last weekend, it's been a tough go of things for the Utah volleyball program as of late.
First the Utes were forced to cancel their weekend series with No. 19 Oregon in mid-February due to COVID-19 protocols within the program. While some of the players were still allowed to practice, the lack of in-game experience was noticeable when they were swept by No. 9 Washington in Seattle the following weekend.
Then came the victories over a Stanford team that is still struggling to find its groove for the season.
During that entire time, all-American Kenzie Koerber and middle Zoe Weatherington — two starters — were out for undisclosed reasons. This really tested Utah's depth and forced unsung players such as Phoebe Grace, Megan Yett, Madelyn Robinson and Kennedi Evans to step up despite limited action.
So when Utah was getting ready to face off with No. 17 UCLA on Friday afternoon, head coach Beth Launiere wasn't sure what to expect from her team. After everything the team had been through the previous three weeks, facing a very good Bruins team on the road would come with challenges.
Launiere was right.
Despite the return of Koerber, No. 9 Utah couldn't find a way to close out sets and in return suffered a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-21 and 25-22) loss at the hands of No. 17 UCLA on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Koerber appeared to show very little rust despite not playing in a month when she led the Utes with 14 kills, hitting .429 for the match. She also tied for the team-high with 12 kills.
Kenzie Koerber, Utah Volleyball — Courtesy of Utah Athletics
Dani Drews finished with a team-high 18 kills, but was highly inefficient with a .189 hitting percentage. Robinson added 10 kills while Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres finished with 42 assists and 12 digs. Evans added seven kills and a team-high six blocks.
Utah will return to action on Sunday when it faces off with UCLA once again. First serve is set for 1 p.m. MT from Pauley Pavilion.
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