Monday, February 10, 1997
VOLLEYBALL:
Nihipali provides key kills in last two games of match against
UC San DiegoBy Jennifer Kollenborn
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA was red hot on the road in San Diego.
On Friday night, UCLA crushed San Diego State 15-8, 15-6, 15-8.
And on Saturday, the Bruins pummeled UC San Diego 15-11, 9-15,
15-7, 15-12.
The win over the Aztecs was a quick 3-0 whipping that took just
over an hour. But the match against UCSD proved to be a better
challenge for the Bruins.
In that match, the Bruins were led by their hitters.
"We had four starting hitters who came in strong," UCLA head
coach Al Scates said after the game against the Tritons.
The four Bruin hitters all hit over .400 on Saturday. Paul
Nihipali led the way with a .571 hitting percentage. Tom Stillwell,
Fred Robins and Danny Farmer also starred for the Bruins.
With the score at 12-11 in Game 1, Scates substituted Robins in
for Matt Davis, which proved to be the turning point of the game.
Robins’ key kill put the Bruins one point away from what would be a
15-11 win.
In Game 2, the Bruins lost momentum right from the beginning,
losing the first point when UCLA hit long. Farmer’s kill would
eventually tie the game at 4-4. But, UCLA couldn’t pick up the
pace, and the Tritons took the lead to 9-6 when the Bruins hit
three long in a row.
"In the beginning, we were playing without adrenaline. Every
year we come out flat after San Diego State," Scates said.
The Bruins came back strong in Game 3, which they won thanks in
large part to two kills by Nihipali. And their momentum continued
into Game 4, in which UCLA opened up an 11-5 lead. UCSD battled
back, tying the match at 12, but Paul Nihipali finished a 15-12 win
in the fourth game with the final kill of the match.