A new weekend, same old story. The UCLA women’s volleyball
team is confident that their focus in practice will result in wins
on the court. The Bruins (12-9, 5-6 Pac-10) face No. 6 Stanford
(19-3, 9-2) today and unranked Cal (15-6, 5-6) on Saturday.
Like last week, hitting and serving have been the focal points
in practice. Another disappointing showing in the state of
Washington, however, has the Bruins hoping that playing at home
will be the catalyst for change.
“We’re working on being smart and making good
decisions with our attacking,” second-year student Brynn
Murphy said.
Although they’re happy with what they have accomplished in
practice, the team knows executing in games is another matter
especially when the opponent is Stanford. They are the clear
underdogs, but the Bruins did manage to take a game from the
Cardinal in their previous game.
“We have to play with that same intensity on our
court,” head coach Andy Banachowski said. “I believe in
the team and what we can do. We just need to make good decisions
and adjustments in the game.”
The Bruins are riding a three-game losing streak, and Stanford
may make it four. The losses are mounting, and UCLA is in danger of
falling out of the race for third place in the Pac-10. The Bruins
are currently stuck in a four-team jumble with Cal, Washington and
Washington State, where only a game and a half separates third
place from fifth.
“We’ve got to get hot down the stretch and pull away
from the pack,” Banachowski said.
The teams schedule finally relents after Stanford. Cal has never
beaten UCLA in 41 tries, and the Bruins are also unbeaten at home
this year. Still, the Bears are not the doormat they may appear to
be, as they recently defeated Arizona, and took No. 1 USC to five
games Oct. 5.
Still, if there is any such thing as a a game the Bruins simply
must win, the game against Stanford is it.
Despite their recent poor showing, the Bruins feel that their
season is still promising.
“I think our confidence is high right now,”
second-year student Krystal McFarland said. “We know
we’ve got nothing to lose.”