SAN ANTONIO -- Outside hitter Rachael Kidder had 20 kills and UCLA beat Illinois in the NCAA women's volleyball championship to give the Bruins their first title in two decades Saturday night.
The Bruins won their fourth title in school history, putting them third behind Stanford (six) and Penn State (five).
Tabi Love had 14 kills for UCLA in the 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16 victory. Michelle Bartsch led Illinois with 22 kills in the first championship match ever for the Illini. UCLA (30-6) hadn't won a championship since 1991 or even played in the final since 1994.
The Bruins are the sport's first new champion in five years. They dethroned the Nittany Lions, whose record run of four consecutive titles ended in the regional semifinals.
UCLA was among women's volleyball original dynasties in the late 1980s and early 90s, but the program spent the past two decades watching its West Coast rivals pass them by. Now the Bruins are back on top after a 20-year championship drought -- an eternity for a program whose 12 national semifinal appearances rank second.
Newcomer Illinois fell in just the Illini's third trip to the semifinals in school history. Colleen Ward added 17 kills for the Illini (32-5). llinois was trying to become the first newcomer to win a championship in its first try since Washington in 2005.
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