Volleyball takes aim at Gauchos
No. 1 Bruins head north
for MPSF match against
No. 5 UC Santa Barbara
By Eric Branch
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Al Scates will get plenty of opportunities this season to do his
best Lou Holtz impression.
When you are at the helm of the top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball
team (5-0 overall, 2-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) there
are plenty of chances to paint your less talented opponents as the
second coming of the ’27 Yankees, much like the football coach at
Notre Dame.
Well, Scates is talking the talk, but tonight it could prove to
be more than a psychological ploy as the Bruins travel up the 101
to battle a tough No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (5-2, 4-1) squad in the
Thunderdome. Although UCLA swept the Gauchos 15-13, 15-8, 15-13 in
their season opener Jan. 21 at the UCSB Invitational Tournament in
Santa Barbara, UCSB did not surrender without a struggle. The
Bruins hit a mere .268 in the two-hour victory, their second lowest
percentage of the season. During the match, the Gauchos dug an
incredible 71 balls while being narrowly outblocked (17.5 to
16).
These statistics left Scates, whose Bruins have also faced
defending national champion Penn State this season, rather
impressed.
"They’re the toughest team we’ve played this year," Scates said.
"They sideout better than anyone I’ve seen. When we played them
before no one on our team had a big hitting night, they shut
everyone down."
While Scates may stop just short of conceding defeat, UCSB head
coach Ken Preston is already frantically waving the white towel. To
hear him talk, the Gauchos, who return five starters from last
seasons’ 10th-ranked team, have achieved their No. 5 ranking
despite bearing a faint resemblance to the ’62 Mets, or perhaps the
’94 Rams.
"We’ll go out and compete like last time," Preston said. "But
it’s tough going against a team like UCLA. We’re improving every
day but we have a long, long way to go. It’s a cliche, but
unfortunately, right now it’s true."
Evidence of UCSB’s improvement is a 3-2 home victory over then
No. 4 Brigham Young last Friday  after the Cougars previously
swept the Gauchos in Santa Barbara earlier in the season. In
addition, BYU defeated the Bruins during a scrimmage at the UCSB
Tournament  all of which gives Scates more ammunition.
"After that first tournament we thought BYU was the team to
beat," Scates said. "But now Santa Barbara looks awfully good."
Junior outside hitter Amaury Velasco, the MPSF Freshman of the
Year in 1993, is part of the reason for the Gauchos improved
appearance. In the previous match with the Bruins, Velasco posted a
match-high 17 digs while helping to control the Bruin serve. In
addition, Velasco is one of the finest trash talkers in the
MPSF.
"He’s definitely a volatile guy," Scates said. "But more
importantly, he’s a great passer. We had no aces in that match. He
just stood out in the middle of the court and took every ball. We
would be better off serving to him a lot less."
Donny Harris, a 6-7 sophomore outside hitter, is leading the
Gauchos in kills for the second consecutive season. Harris, who is
averaging 6.41 kills per game, blasted 24 kills in the first
meeting with UCLA.