After a tough loss in the first game to Pepperdine on Tuesday,
the UCLA women’s volleyball team looked flatter than warm
Coke.
In tonight’s matchup against USC, however, there’s
little chance of that happening again.
“After that first game (against Pepperdine), it really
took the air out of our balloon,” head coach Andy Banachowski
said. “But, unless you’re dead, you get up to play
USC.”
Whenever the Bruins and the Trojans face off ““ in any
sport ““ the games are always intense. Whether or not this is
a true rivalry match, however, is debatable.
This is not a typical matchup of conference powerhouses. Rather,
the game features the No. 2 Trojans (21-1, 14-1 Pac-10) playing
against a struggling No. 19 Bruin (15-11, 8-7) team. UCLA has won
two games and lost 24 against opponents ranked in the top 10.
Still, there is no doubt about how much the Bruins want to win
this game.
“Everyone is going to play their hearts out,”
sophomore Brynn Murphy said. “I think having home-court
advantage is a big advantage.”
In the previous meeting between these two teams at USC, UCLA was
able to hang close until the scores reached the 20-point mark. USC
dominated the late stages of the match, however, and won all three
games comfortably.
The home-court advantage goes to the Bruins this time around,
and playing in Pauley Pavilion may have a decided impact on the
outcome.
“It’s fun to play at home. I think that could be a
big advantage for us,” said sophomore libero Chrissie
Zartman, the team leader in digs.
Indeed, the team is cautiously optimistic about its chances in
tonight’s match.
“We’re better than we were before,”
Banachowski said. “We’re making progress, and if
everyone brings their “˜A’ game, we can win.”
Indeed, a victory over the Trojans would almost certainly secure
a postseason berth for UCLA. Another loss, on the other hand,
pushes the Bruins ever closer to a precarious position.
“It’d be great for our confidence,” Murphy
said. “With Arizona and Arizona State coming in afterwards,
this could put us in a great position for NCAAs.”
This match clearly means much more to UCLA than to USC. The
Trojans are a team with national title dreams, whereas the Bruins
are fighting just to make the postseason.
A victory would essentially salvage an otherwise mediocre
season.
“It’s a tremendous thought, to beat them. It would
definitely be great for the postseason,” Banachowski
said.