No. 1 UCLA Claims Center of Effort Challenge Title, Defeats No. 2 USC
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- No. 1 UCLA (28-4) claimed the Center of Effort Challenge title for the second straight year with a 3-2 victory over No. 2 USC (27-4) on Saturday evening at Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex. It marked the 19th-consecutive win for the Bruins, who improved to 19-24 all-time against the Trojans with a second-straight win in the series.
Redshirt freshman Kenzie Brower and junior Jessie Smith put the first point on the board for the Bruins on court three, defeating the Trojans' identical twins, Audrey and Nicole Nourse, in identical sets of 21-16.
Grace Seits and Ashley Pater tied the dual up at 1-1 for the Trojans with a 21-15, 21-17 win over junior Natalie Myszkowski and redshirt freshman Ensley Alden on court four.
The Bruins reclaimed the lead at 2-1 on court two as graduate student Devon Newberry and senior Peri Brennan won in straight sets over Maddi Kriz and Madison White, 21-18, 21-19.
The Trojans would tie it up again at 2-2 when Megan Kraft and Laynie Maple won a three-set thriller over the Bruins' court one pair of graduate student Lexy Denaburg and sophomore Maggie Boyd, 22-20, 15-21, 15-12.
It all came down to court five where senior Tessa Van Winkle and graduate student Jaden Whitmarsh rallied after losing the first set to USC's Madison Goellner and Mabyn Thomas for a three-set victory, 14-21, 21-17, 15-10.
UP NEXT: The Bruins will close out the regular season at No. 2 USC next week in a pair of duals on Thursday, April 18. UCLA will first take on No. 10 LMU at 10:00 a.m. PT, followed by a rematch with the Trojans at 12:30 p.m. PT.
NOTES: The win over the Trojans marked the fourth time this season (and 24th time overall) that the Bruins have been in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup (2-2 in 2024). The Bruins are now 10-14 (.417) in program history in those matchups. Interestingly, UCLA is just 3-9 (.250) as the top-ranked team in those matchups but 7-5 (.583) as the underdog. Additionally, UCLA has gone 114-15 (.884) as the nation's top team, and is now 8-7 (.533) against USC when the Bruins are the No. 1 team. The Bruins won all four duals at the Center of Effort Challenge by identical scores of 3-2, defeating No. 10 LMU, No. 4 Florida State, No. 6 Cal Poly, and No. 2 USC.
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 2 USC, 3-2
Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex • San Luis Obispo
Saturday, April 13, 2024 • 5:45 PM
Records: UCLA (28-4), USC (27-4)
1. Megan Kraft/Laynie Maple (USC) def. Lexy Denaburg/Maggie Boyd (UCLA) 22-20, 15-21, 15-12
2. Devon Newberry/Peri Brennan (UCLA) def. Maddi Kriz/Madison White (USC) 21-18, 21-19
3. Kenzie Brower/Jessie Smith (UCLA) def. Nicole Nourse/Audrey Nourse (USC) 21-16, 21-16
4. Grace Seits/Ashley Pater (USC) def. Natalie Myszkowski/Ensley Alden (UCLA) 21-15, 21-17
5. Tessa Van Winkle/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Madison Goellner/Mabyn Thomas (USC) 14-21, 21-17, 15-10
Order of finish: 3, 4, 2, 1, 5*