Thursday, 6/5/97 Nihipali leaves his mark as he leaves the
Bruins M. VOLLEYBALL Senior captain ends UCLA career with honors,
records
By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor The UCLA men’s
volleyball team shined this season under the leadership of Player
of the Year candidate, senior Paul Nihipali. Despite the hopes of
Nihipali and the rest of the UCLA line-up, the Bruins finished the
1997 season in second place, barely losing to Stanford in the NCAA
championship match in Columbus, Ohio. Regardless of the fact that
the Bruins were not crowned with the NCAA title this year to
fulfill the senior captain’s last wish, Nihipali’s records will
remain engraved in UCLA’s stat book challenging the next Bruin to
break them. As the single senior starter, the spotlight was on
Nihipali and he thrived in it. His final year proved to be a
successful one. In 19 of the Bruins’ 29 matches this season, he
spiked 20 or more kills raising his career kills total to 2,096 and
making him UCLA’s all-time kills leader. He is the 13th player in
AVCA history to spike over 2,000 career kills. For his
achievements, he earned 1997 first-team AVCA All-American honors
and NCAA All-Tournament honors. In addition, Nihipali was named
MPSF Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week on
Feb. 24. His leadership influenced the tight bond of the Bruins
which collegiate competition often breaks. Nihipali’s contribution
to the Bruins began his freshman year. In 1994, quick-hitter
Nihipali received NCAA All-Tournament honors, third team All-MPSF
and MPSF All-Freshman acclaim. In the 1995 season, Nihipali
switched to the opposite position while leading the Bruins in kills
at 5.7 kpg (fourth nationally), and consequently, was merited with
Second Team AVCA All-American honors and First Team All-MPSF
honors. Nihipali emerged as the country’s top 1997 Player of the
Year candidate in 1996, when he earned first-team AVCA All-American
and All-MPSF honors. He also notched a school record of 52 kills in
the league championship match against Santa Barbara, the most by
any collegiate player last season, and ranks as the eighth highest
all-time total. The conglomeration of hits Nihipali has accumulated
in his four years at UCLA serves as an inspiration to his teammates
and future Bruin competitors. His devotion and outstanding hitting
ability made him an instant sensation. Nihipali’s aspirations in
volleyball do not end with his career at UCLA. He has already made
the university team which is scheduled to compete nationally in
Sicily in July coached by UCLA’s head coach, Al Scates. Nihipali
will also train with the national team this summer in Colorado
Springs along with three other Bruins. Yet, he still is unsure of
where he will play in the fall. "I plan to go to Europe and stay
through the spring," Nihipali said. "I have had a few offers, but I
haven’t accepted any because I want to make sure that I know
everything that’s out there, so I can choose the most desirable
one."