Inside the confines of Pauley Pavilion, the UCLA women’s
volleyball team has looked every bit as good as their No. 18
ranking would indicate.
But when the Bruins (12-9, 5-6) have taken to the road in the
Pac-10, they have struggled just to remain competitive.
UCLA is an anemic 1-6 on the road in conference play, and finds
itself mired in a four-way tie for fourth place with just a month
left in the season.
“Teams seem to be holding their own on their home
court,” UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski said. “We have
a lot of young kids playing, and they are not used to the routine
yet.”
The Bruins lost four starters from last year’s squad,
including All-American Kristee Porter, and the team features two
freshman and four sophomores in the rotation in 2002.
That inexperience was critical last weekend when the Bruins
dropped a pair of road matches they were expected to win against
No. 20 Washington State and Washington.
“It really hurts us in the standings,” Banachowski
said. “We just didn’t play with the intensity that we
needed this weekend. We made a lot of mistakes.”
After starting Pac-10 play with two losses in the desert against
Arizona and Arizona State, UCLA has struggled to find any rhythm on
the road. The Bruins have won just one match away from home since
then ““ a four-game victory over California on Oct. 4.
One factor contributing to the Bruins’ road woes is their
inexperience playing in front of hostile crowds. Against both No. 1
USC and Washington State, UCLA appeared rattled, losing their focus
and intensity at crucial moments.
“Washington State had the band playing and the obnoxious
fans in the front row, “ sophomore Krystal McFarland said.
“Their crowd was really good about trying to get us out of
our game.”
Sophomore Heather Cullen agreed.
“The coaches got frustrated, and we got frustrated,”
she said. “The crowd just gets in people’s heads, and
gets the other team fired up.”
Heading into Friday’s game vs. No. 6 Stanford, the Bruins
have lost three in a row, but there is reason for optimism. UCLA
plays six of its next eight games at home, travelling only to the
Pacific Northwest to take on hapless Oregon and an Oregon State
squad whom the Bruins swept three weeks ago at home.
Nonetheless UCLA must play with more courage and intensity away
from Pauley Pavilion if they hope to match last year’s NCAA
Tournament run to the regional finals.
“They’re starting to understand that everyone has a
role,” Banachowski said. “I think you will see a much
more intense team this weekend. I believe we’re going to get
better real fast.”