Wednesday, April 10, 1996
M. volleyball to host UC Irvine en route to postseason actionBy
Ruben Gutierrez
Daily Bruin Staff
When No. 3 UCLA hosts UC Irvine tonight, much will be at stake
in the form of postseason seedings. Besides the playoff
implications of the contest, the evening will also mark the last
regular-season home match for four UCLA seniors.
Setter Stein Metzger and swing hitter Brian Wells, teammates
since their high school days at Hawaii’s Punahou High School, have
started all season and have been instrumental in the success UCLA
has enjoyed the past four years, and will also play key roles in
the postseason.
The other two departing seniors, swing hitter Matt Taylor and
quick hitter Jason Harper, have each started matches for UCLA (20-5
overall, 14-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) this season, but
oftentimes have never seen the court.
Despite being seldom used, what these players have contributed
in the form of work ethic and intensity has been more than
adequate, and their competitive natures have served as fine
examples for younger Bruin players.
With starter Fred Robins out for over a week with a sprained
ankle he sustained on match point in a loss to Long Beach, Taylor
will start tonight’s match. In a hard-fought, three-game UCLA
victory the last time the Bruins took on the Anteaters (8-16,
3-15), Taylor put away nine kills on a .471 attack percentage and
added a team-high six digs.
"(Taylor) is the most active player we have on defense," UCLA
head coach Al Scates said. "He is very intense on defense. Many
times this year he’s been the best digger on the floor. This is
very important to our team because many times, our opponents get
more digs than we do and get more swings at the ball than we do as
a direct result of it. So when he’s on the floor, we get more
scoring opportunities because of his digging ability."
The skills Taylor has acquired have not come without sacrifice,
though, and last season especially proved to be a testing ground
for the swing hitter’s character and mental toughness. This season,
Wells has seen duty at both swing hitter spots, and according to
Scates, feels comfortable in either position.
"Last year was not a good year for Matt," Scates said. "He had a
lot of things going on in his life, I think, and his skills eroded.
He realized that, and he came in ready to play this year. He came
in in the best shape of his life and he’s started a lot of matches
for us. He realized that this is his last chance and he’s just had
a great attitude."
Harper has also started several matches for the Bruins this
season, and has blazed a path through them with excellent attack
percentages. Six times this season, Harper has hit above .400. On
back-to-back nights (Feb. 9 and 10) Harper was particularly
impressive. He put away seven kills on a .700 average and added
five total blocks against San Diego State, then recorded seven more
kills with six blocks against UC San Diego the following
evening.
"Harper, he’s the smartest middle blocker I know," Metzger said.
"He’s got (two-time Player of the Year Jeff) Nygaard’s smarts, but
not quite his athletic ability. I mean, he can dig just as well as
anybody on the team, but he’s 6 feet 7 inches tall. He’s always
making the right move and the right play up at the net."
The four seniors all share a common bond, having endured a
redshirt season together and undergone the rigors of practicing
against such Bruin greats as Nygaard, Kevin Wong and Erik Sullivan
for most of their collegiate careers.
"It’s been great because we all came in at the same time and we
were all buddies when we were redshirting," Metzger said. "We hung
out in the dorms all the time. Harper lived two floors above me and
we’d play basketball at Dykstra, our home court, just about every
day. I go way back with these guys and I’ve appreciated having them
around the whole time."
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Senior swing hitter Matt Taylor will start against Irvine
tonight.SCOTT O/Daily Bruin
Jason Harper is one of four departing seniors.