Friday, 4/18/97 UCLA prepares to face Pacific in first round
playoff match Bruins, hot off 16-game winning streak, expected to
win
By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor It’s all or
nothing. When the top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team plays its
first round playoff match against No. 8 Pacific at 8 p.m. Saturday
in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins should easily emerge victorious. But
if the team loses, UCLA will be knocked out of the playoffs.
However, looking at the two teams’ records and MPSF standings, UCLA
(21-3, 17-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) should have no
problem dispatching the Tigers (16-10, 9-10). "I’d never think that
there would be a chance of us losing, but an upset would definitely
knock us out," UCLA assistant coach Brian Rofer said. The Bruins
enter the match with an amazing 16-game winning streak and intend
to keep it up until the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. After
sweeping UC Irvine 3-0 on Tuesday night, UCLA will be well-rested
and ready to play. The Bruins will focus on shutting down Pacific’s
key player Andric Vladmir, who currently ranks second in the nation
in service aces. "Andric is a good server, and we have to make sure
that we side-out in rotation to stop him," Rofer said. "We are not
overlooking (Pacific) because they are a good team and we need to
be ready for them." The Bruins will also need to turn in a stellar
hitting performance, as the Tigers are known for good defense. Sam
Crosson has notched 257 digs in 96 games while Greg Wakeman has
picked up 229 digs in 92 games (fourth and ninth in the nation).
Wakeman is second in the nation in kill average with 7.05 kills per
game. However, the Bruins should be able to shut down Pacific’s
offense like they did before in March. The last time UCLA
encountered the Tigers, the Bruins dominated the match in every
way. UCLA outhit the Tigers .428 to .275. Senior All-American Paul
Nihipali made the victory ever-so-sweet, shattering UCLA’s record
for most kills. Nihipali spiked 29 kills for a team high, giving
him 1,809. If UCLA wins Saturday, the Bruins will face the winner
of the Long Beach State-UCSB match.