As the UCLA women’s volleyball team took on the Pepperdine
Waves (19-6, 10-0 WCC), the intensity at Pauley Pavilion was
palpable. At least, it was during the first game.
After dropping an incredibly hard-fought game 37-35, the Bruins
(15-11, 8-7 Pac-10) limped through the rest of the match, losing in
three straight games to the Waves. The loss all but dashed
UCLA’s chances of hosting a playoff game.
Up 29-28 in the first game, senior Lauren Fendrick’s
service error was the first in a series of blown opportunities for
the Bruins. Sophomore Brittany Ringel’s kill gave UCLA a
32-31 lead, but again the Bruins were unable to sustain the
momentum. Overall, five consecutive game points were lost.
Tied at 35, the two teams exchanged a ferocious rally. Sophomore
Chrissie Zartman had three digs, and both the Bruins and the Waves
hustled to every ball. The crowd was on its feet, alternating
between hushed attention and raucous encouragement.
It was Pepperdine, though, that eventually won the point, and
the game.
“It was kind of a letdown but we didn’t respond
well; we didn’t take it back up to the level of the first
game,” Ringel said.
Indeed, after the first game, it was all downhill for UCLA. The
Bruins relaxed defensively and displayed no emotion after such a
deflating loss. The blocking especially left much to be
desired.
“After losing that first game, it really took the air out
of our balloon,” head coach Andy Banachowski said. “By
the end of the match we played out of rhythm, and looked tired out
there.”
In the second game, the Waves jumped out to a 10-5 lead. With
the score 12-10, the teams fought another long rally, but once
again the Bruins were unable to finish it off. UCLA still had a
chance to win the game, down only 25-24. However, a hitting error
by Ringel seemed to be the final blow to a demoralized UCLA squad,
and the Waves cruised past the Bruins to win 30-25.
“We were frustrated,” sophomore Heather Cullen said.
“Things weren’t going the right way for us. I
don’t think we brought our “˜A’ game.”
In the third game the Bruins spotted Pepperdine a 14-8 lead. As
a team, the Waves hit at a gaudy .435 clip in the third game, a
testament to the Bruins’ lack of defensive intensity.
Late in the game, Cullen’s service ace cut the lead to
three, but the Waves would hold on to win comfortably, 30-25. The
match was Pepperdine’s ninth consecutive win.
“Their middle blockers had a field day with ours,”
Banachowski said. “We didn’t block well
tonight.”
Although they lost at home in straight games, there were still a
few things going right for the Bruins. Ringel led all players with
21 kills, while Fendrick had 17. Ringel also had 54 attempts, a
whopping total for only three games. Still, Ringel and Fendrick hit
a solid .278 and .297, respectively.
“We were a little bit unbalanced, but our outside hitters
didn’t embarrass themselves,” Banachowski said.
In addition, freshman Nancy Barba, playing in place of injured
senior Angela Eckmier, recorded only her first hitting error of the
season. Barba now has 22 kills to the lone error.