WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL / NCAA TOURNAMENT : Bruins Stay Unbeaten; Trojans Are Eliminated

The UCLA women’s volleyball team moved one step closer to making history Friday night.

The Bruins defeated Arizona State, 15-3, 15-9, 15-3, in the NCAA Division I West Region semifinals at Pauley Pavilion.

In the other semifinal, Brigham Young defeated USC, 15-5, 15-5, 13-15, 15-11.

The top-ranked Bruins (31-0) will play the eighth-ranked Cougars (29-3) in the West Region final tonight at 8 p.m.

UCLA is attempting to win its third consecutive NCAA championship. The Bruins also have a chance to become the second team ever to finish the season undefeated. USC went undefeated in 1977.

UCLA’s starting middle blockers, 6-foot-1 Marissa Hatchett and 6-0 Lisa Hudak controlled the match against Arizona State with their blocking from the outset. They had 12 total team blocks.

Hatchett led with three block solos and eight block assists.

“My setter is wondering who the heck she needs to run the offense against, which is the weak block, and there is no weak block,” said Patti Snyder, Arizona State coach.

Natalie Williams had a team-leading 18 kills, hitting .577 for the Bruins. Williams needs three kills to break UCLA’s kills record of 2,044, held by UCLA assistant coach Liz Masakayan.

The 14th-ranked Sun Devils finished the season 23-8 and advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the third time in school history.

Brigham Young took an 11-0 lead over USC in the first game and maintained its momentum through the second game.

The Trojans won a close third game after Carol Schumann-Rawson hit the ball long. During the fourth game, USC rallied from a seven-point deficit and Brigham Young served seven match points before Shannan Egbert-Skidmore served the match-winner.

USC, ranked 11th, finished 21-9.

UCLA defeated BYU in three games on Sept. 11.

The winner of the UCLA-BYU match will play the South Region champion in the final four in Albuquerque, N.M., beginning Thursday. Florida (33-1) will play Texas (29-5) in the South Region final.