UCLA women’s volleyball was points away from logging its most impressive victory of the year. And despite being outscored by 13 points, the Bruins scrapped their ways into a five-set match.

Yet they came out short against a talented Stanford squad.

The Bruins (16-10, 9-8 Pac-12) failed to notch a win against the Cardinal (24-3, 17-1), even though they swept them last season in two games. Unsurprisingly, Stanford is headed for yet another Pac-12 title this year.

Meanwhile, UCLA is in the midst of a down year compared to the previous few seasons. The Bruins already have 10 losses, which is more than they accumulated in 2016 and 2015.

At one point, it looked like the Bruins could possibly notch the upset, as they accrued a 2-1 lead. But then the Cardinal began pulling away before a heated final set that ended 15-13 in Stanford’s favor.

Even with the loss, it was a promising performance for the Bruins. The team’s three leading scorers at the net enjoyed solid nights. Freshman pin hitter Jenny Mosser had 19 kills, while sophomore blocker Madeleine Gates and senior outside hitter Riley Buechler each posted 22 kills.

Stanford’s best hitter – and top-five hitter in the nation – Kathryn Plummer couldn’t be contained, as she boasted a game-high 28 kills.

The Bruins will look to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time this season at Cal (13-15, 4-13), a team underperforming this season.

UCLA may be on a losing stretch, but the Golden Bears have faced a dreadful five-game losing streak, getting swept in each match. The Bruins also captured a win against them earlier this win with a sweep as well.

However, Cal has been much better at home this year, going 10-5 in Haas Pavilion. UCLA is just 6-6 away, though all of those losses came against ranked teams.

This is your UCLA women’s volleyball vs. Cal game thread.