The collegiate volleyball season has more twists than a NASCAR
road course, and it took an unexpected turn for No. 13 UCLA during
the Bruins’ victory over Oregon on Friday night.
With the Bruins trailing the last-place Ducks late in the first
game of the match, UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski turned to his
bench, pulled starting outside hitter Brittany Ringel and replaced
her with walk-on Teryn Spragg.
The freshman outside hitter made the most of the opportunity,
recording the kill that gave the Bruins a 29-28 lead in game one.
Spragg remained on the court throughout most of the match,
recording five kills on just 12 swings against the Ducks.
Conversely, the taller, more powerful Ringel tallied just two
kills on 13 swings and did not re-enter the game after being
replaced.
“Brittany was a little bit off, and she started making
some errors,” said Banachowski. “It’s great that
we have the depth where we can go to the bench and have someone
bail us out. Teryn played great for us tonight.”
On Thursday, Spragg made the first start of her career against
Oregon State because senior Lauren Fendrick began the match on the
bench after violating team rules earlier in the week. Although
Fendrick returned to the lineup late in game one, Spragg played
throughout the entire match, notching a career-high eight
kills.
“I never expected to play as much as I am right
now,” said Spragg, who had been used sparingly prior to
Thursday. “It means a lot to me because I know that the
coaches have confidence in me, and I would hope my teammates do as
well.”
The emergence of Spragg leaves Banachowski at an impasse about
who to start on Friday when the Bruins take on No. 1 USC.
The veteran head coach will give Ringel every opportunity to
shore up her game in practice this week but will not hesitate to go
with the more inexperienced Spragg against the Trojans.
“Brittany could help us a lot this weekend if she came to
life, but we’ll see how things go” Banachowski said.
“Now that we know what Teryn can do, I think we have to get
her more playing time. When you hit over .400 in matches, you have
got to be out there on the court.”
Spragg is happy to have the opportunity to play at all, whether
it be in a starting role or coming off the bench.
“If the outside hitters are not playing up to their
potential, I think that I am the next option,” she said.
“I’ve been working hard, and it has paid
off.”