WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL : UCLA Looks Out for No. 1 by Beating Stanford Easily

The challenge must come from within. No other team has challenged UCLA this season.

The top-ranked Bruin women’s volleyball team defeated second-ranked Stanford, 15-3, 15-7, 15-12, in a Pacific 10 Conference match Friday night at UCLA’s John Wooden Center before 2,240.

Natalie Williams led UCLA with 16 kills and five blocks. She had a .500 hitting percentage.

“At times we played as well as we can, but I don’t think we’ve gotten to the point where we’re able to really sustain it at the highest level,” UCLA Coach Andy Banachowski said.

UCLA (19-0 overall, 12-0 in the Pac-10) played almost flawlessly in the first game. Williams had 10 kills and capped the game with a service ace.

“We just let them get off to a great start and you can’t do that,” Stanford Coach Don Shaw said.

Stanford posed a threat in the third game, when it tied the score, at 10-10. Elaine Youngs scored the next two points for UCLA on two kills to put the Bruins ahead for good.

Bev Oden, Stanford’s 6-foot-2 outside hitter who played with the U.S. national team after last season, led the Cardinal with 12 kills.

UCLA hit .364 as a team, compared to .092 for Stanford (17-2, 10-2).

UCLA retained sole possession of first place in the Pac-10. Stanford is in second with six Pac-10 matches remaining on each of their schedules.

UCLA has been pushed to five games only once this season, in a come-from-behind victory at Stanford on Oct. 3.

If UCLA stays perfect, it will be the second team to do so. The only team to go undefeated was the 1977 USC team.

In 1988, UCLA went undefeated during the regular season but lost to Texas in the NCAA semifinals.

“(Remaining undefeated) is not one of our goals,” Banachowski said. “We just want to be undefeated in postseason play.”