Friday, April 12, 1996
Bruins hope victory over 49ers pans out in tonight’s matchBy
Ruben Gutierrez
Daily Bruin Staff
This week’s collegiate volleyball rankings read a little like
the old Abbott and Costello "Who’s on first" routine. The confusion
centers around who’s in second, with Long Beach State and UCLA each
holding the No. 2 spot in one of the two major polls.
Long Beach State slipped into the No. 2 spot in the American
Volleyball Coaches Association poll after UCLA lost to No. 4 UC
Santa Barbara, but the Bruins held onto the second spot in the
Volleyball Magazine poll.
Tonight, the controversy will be settled in what promises to be
the best matchup before the post-season begins later this month.
The Bruins (20-4 overall, 14-3 MPSF) travel to Long Beach to take
on the 49ers (20-4, 14-3) in the Pyramid at 7 p.m. Besides settling
the national rankings, the game will be instrumental in playoff
seedings.
"This will determine who is No. 2, there is no question about
that," UCLA head coach Al Scates said. "We’re still No. 2 in the
Volleyball Magazine poll and we’re No. 3 in the other poll by four
points. It doesn’t really matter, though, because whoever wins will
be No. 2."
To shoot down the 49ers, the Bruins must first slow down senior
Tom Hoff, a 1995 first-team All-American at the middle blocker
position. Hoff is tied with teammate Neil Mendel at No. 4 in the
MPSF in blocking average, contributing nearly two per game. Hoff is
also one of the top hitters in the MPSF, averaging six kills per
game.
"Hoff will probably wind up playing opposite hitter against us
sometime during the match, that’s what we’re looking for," Scates
said. "They need him to hit a lot of balls against us, so he’ll
probably start out as a quick hitter and wind up as an opposite.
That means his blocking production will probably drop off a little
bit, but he’ll get a lot more sets and a lot more kills."
To volleyball afficionados, the contest is a match made in
heaven. UCLA is one of the top blocking teams in the nation, with
sophomore quick hitter Tom Stillwell currently the top blocker in
the country. Against Loyola Marymount Wednesday night, the Bruins
made short work of the Lions by outblocking them 21.5 to three.
Long Beach State is second only to Hawaii in team hitting
percentage in MPSF play, putting up a .346 attack percentage.
"They have a team that hits better than we do, so they’re going
to be hard to stop," Scates said. "They have several outstanding
hitters who are getting anywhere between four and five kills per
game. So they’re going to be tough to stop, but if we can block
with the same technique we used against Loyola then we’ll have a
good shot of beating them."