Wednesday, 4/30/97 Quick hitter set to serve up his second NCAA
championship Top-ranked blocker Tom Stillwell brings determination
to the court
By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor The players come
and go. There is always a new opponent ready to take his best shot,
but the more things change, the more they stay the same for the
UCLA men’s volleyball team. The Bruins have become the measuring
stick by which all other Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
programs are judged and for good reason. UCLA has won 16 NCAA
Championships since 1970 and enters the 1997 Final Four aiming to
carry off its third consecutive victory. And what will contribute
to UCLA’s aspiring impeccable performance? One lone star Bruin
quick hitter. All Tom Stillwell did was jump high and hustle. And
look where it got him and the Bruins. The 1997 MPSF regular season
champions have a wild card ticket to the Final Four. Stillwell’s
motivation, perseverance and the Bruin’s excellent coaching staff
have shaped him into one of the country’s most feared blockers.
Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches and weighing 200 pounds, the spry
quick hitter has pushed his potential to the sky by paying close
attention in practice to scouting tapes and listening to words of
the wise from namely head coach Al Scates and assistant coach Brian
Rofer. "The coaches tell you what they’re going to do in certain
rotations – who (the opponent) is going to and who they’re going to
set," Stillwell said. "It kind of gives you a little edge knowing
where they are likely to go, so you can get going before they even
start leaning that way. It also helps that I jump high and can get
my arms over the net." Earning first team all-MPSF honors this
season, the All-American comes into the Final Four as a fueled
threat to opposing teams. Starting 24 of 25 games this year,
Stillwell has clearly left his footprint in the volleyball arena.
His first triple-double came this season against Lewis as he
recorded 11 kills, 17 digs and 16 total blocks. In his career,
Stillwell now has 11 career double-figure blocking matches
including four this year. He also recorded a career high 25 kills
twice versus Hawaii and UCSB this year. Ranked No. 1 in the nation
in blocking percentage with 1.98 bpg, one might think that the
All-American walks around the court like he is the next Jordan of
volleyball. Yet the blocking leader does not take much stock in his
title. A humble Stillwell shied from commenting on his NCAA rank,
and seemed to have much more to say on the necessity of improving
his game. "I don’t really think I’m a good blocker," Stillwell
said. "When I watch films, I’m pretty disgusted in the way I block,
and I don’t think that I’m a very good blocker at all. I have so
much improvement to do in blocking. I just think that I hustle and
I get to the outside every time, and I never give up. But, I’m far
from where I want to be at blocking; that’s for sure." Despite
being an excellent individual player, Stillwell knows what it means
to play with a team. He shares a common goal with his fellow
teammates, which is to win the 1997 NCAA crown. In order to hook
the 17th Bruin diadem, a sprightly Stillwell pledges his No. 1 duty
to the team. Whether he is leading UCLA’s attack as he did in
January against Stanford with a .469 hitting percentage or leading
the defense as he did in the league championship match, tallying 11
blocks including a career-best of four solos, Stillwell’s
athleticism makes him a vital asset to UCLA. And this dual nature
enables Stillwell to help connect the dots and rally points for the
Bruins. "There is not one that I think is stronger than the other,"
Stillwell said. "Sometimes the team needs me more for blocking and
other times the team needs me more for hitting. Most of the time
they would like me to do both, but sometimes it just doesn’t work
out that way. I wish it did, but it doesn’t." For all that the
junior quick hitter has accomplished in his collegiate volleyball
career thus far, he still feels as though he is standing in the
shallow end of his volleyball summation. After playing on the 1996
NCAA championship team, Stillwell still desires to add a jump serve
and more hitting power to his game, but most of all, he wants to
win the NCAA title. Stillwell’s eyes lit up and his energetic
athleticism was ignited when asked what his No. 1 goal is for 1997.
"Just because I won the (1996) title doesn’t mean that I don’t want
to win more," Stillwell said excitedly. "My goal is still to win
two more titles, and if I don’t, I’ll be disappointed. I didn’t
come here to win one title. I came here to win four." The
determination Stillwell brings to the Bruins en route to the Final
Four marks the pride of the UCLA men’s volleyball team. Pride which
may just fly UCLA home with the 1997 NCAA crown. As Charles Caleb
Colton once said, "The proud man places himself at a distance from
other men; seen through that distance, others appear little to
him." UCLA’s pride makes them see other teams as trifling bodies,
and the Bruins are ready to swallow them up in the Final Four. WYNN
RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO/Daily Bruin Tom Stillwell led the nation in
blocks per game, but his focus stays clearly on the national
championship.