The Pacific Northwest is known for its tall, majestic tree line,
and the Oregon State women’s volleyball team has a veritable
Redwood forest across its front line.
Nonetheless it is the smallest Beaver on the court who could
pose the most problems for UCLA when Oregon State faces off against
the Bruins Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Five-foot-eight-inch Nikki Neuburger has been the catalyst for
an effective Beaver defense that leads the Pac-10 with nearly 18
digs per game. The senior notched a career-high 33 digs against No.
18 Eastern Washington last Saturday, and has a conference-high 213
thus far this season, two more than her UCLA counterpart, Chrissie
Zartman.
“They’re pretty aggressive with their defense, and
it all starts with Neuburger,” said Andy Banachowski, head
coach of No. 13 UCLA (10-6, 3-3 Pac-10). “They’re tall,
too. When you have big blockers, it makes it easier to play
defense.”
In spite of their defensive brilliance, this season has been a
struggle for Oregon State (6-8, 1-4). After an NCAA tournament
berth in 2001 and five straight wins to start the season, the
Beavers have faltered, losing seven in a row before a 3-0 sweep at
Oregon last Thursday.
UCLA’s 31-2 all-time record against Oregon State
notwithstanding, the Bruins have split the season series against
the Beavers each of the last two seasons, and they know how crucial
it is to win at home in the Pac-10.
“We are taking this game very seriously,” said
senior middle blocker Angela Eckmier, who posted a match-high seven
blocks in a road win at California last week. “Oregon State
is a good team, and they play very hard against us. We need to be
ready for a tough match.”
Defeating the Beavers could be an even bigger challenge for UCLA
after a rash of injuries hit the squad earlier this week.
Junior middle blocker Cira Wright has not practiced all week
after suffering a back injury last weekend, and true freshman
setter Haley Jorgensborg tweaked her shoulder in practice and is
doubtful against Oregon State.
The potential loss of Jorgensborg could be very costly for the
Bruins, as the squad may have to abandon its unique 6-2 offense
with only one experienced setter, Krystal McFarland, left to
quarterback the offense against Oregon State. Unless Banachowski
decides that freshman Tammy Jackson is ready to play crucial
minutes, the Bruins will have to play a more traditional 5-1
offense this weekend.
“It is a possibility that we will use Tammy,”
Banachowski said. “We’ve been trying to patch things
together, but we haven’t had a full squad. Hopefully we can
get healthy before the weekend.”
Whether they are at full strength or not, the Bruins are fully
capable of dispatching the Beavers if they play up to their
potential.
“We want to dominate here at home,” said
Banachowski. “They have had a string of bad luck, and
hopefully it will continue.”
And what of Neuburger, who recorded 12 digs in the
Beavers’ upset victory over UCLA last November?
“There are a lot of good liberos in this
conference,” said a confident Banachowski. “I
wouldn’t trade Chrissie Zartman for any of them.”