The UCLA women’s volleyball team heads north to the state
of Oregon in dire straits. The team (13-10, 6-7 Pac-10) is in
danger of missing out on the NCAA tournament for the first time
since 1996, but two conference wins against Oregon (11-15, 1-11)
and Oregon State (7-14, 2-10), however, could provide some much
needed playoff security.
The Bruins dominated the Ducks and the Beavers in Pauley
Pavilion, sweeping both matches. Still, UCLA is a paltry 1-6 on the
road, and the team knows better than to take these matches
lightly.
“Everyone knows how to play volleyball at this level. I
think we’re confident but not overconfident,” sophomore
Heather Cullen said.
Two weeks ago the team travelled to the state of Washington with
high expectations and proceeded to lose a tough five-game decision
to Washington State, before being decisively swept by Washington.
The Bruins know that a repeat performance could cost them a chance
to play in the postseason.
“We can’t take things for granted,” Cullen
said. “Look what happened in Washington.”
In the two previous games in Pauley Pavilion against the Oregon
schools, second-year Brynn Murphy recorded 24 kills and made only
four errors. In each match, the Bruins wore down their opponents,
getting stronger as the game progressed.
Against both Oregon and Oregon State, the Bruins hit over .300
while holding their opponents to a meager .000 hitting percentage
in the third and final game. Such dominance, however, may be hard
to find away from the comforts of home.
“I think we can take care of business,” head coach
Andy Banachowski said. “They’re going to play a lot
better at home than they did here. Both of those teams have great
home courts.”
While the Bruins will not overlook their opponents, the fact
remains that neither is nationally ranked. In fact, Oregon is in
last place in the conference, and Oregon State is ninth.
After national powers USC and Stanford, the Pac-10 picture is
very jumbled. Currently, UCLA is in a sixth-place tie with
Washington State, but only two games out of third.
With difficult games still to come, including a home match
against the Trojans, the Bruins know that these are must-win
matches.
“We’ve got to get wins to keep our hopes alive.
These are crucial games for us,” Banachowski said.