Death, taxes and UCLA men’s volleyball national
championship guarantees ““ they are to be expected.
The only Bruin who seems to question this is junior middle
blocker Chris Peña.
“Are you kidding me? We’re winning this (thing).
That’s for damn sure.”
No. 3 UCLA (2-1), as always, has come into the season with high
expectations. A program that possesses 18 NCAA championships and a
legendary head coach Al Scates, annually expects nothing less than
winning it all.
So again, how far can this year’s team go?
“All the way, of course,” Scates said.
Granted, this Bruin team isn’t exactly the one Scates was
expecting to have at the end of last year. Every starter was
supposed to be back for this season except for graduating senior
All-American outside hitter Matt Komer.
Then Scates discovered in the offseason that all-conference
opposite hitter Cameron Mount had unknowingly used up his
eligibility.
Then three-year starting middle blocker Scott Morrow’s
injured knee did not heal properly, which will cause him to sit out
until at least February.
What, Scates worry?
“Right now, I’m happier about this team than I was
after last season,” he said.
That’s because this team is deep. Scates has about 10
players who, on any given day, can start at outside or opposite
hitter to replace Komer and Mount. Those who did not have playing
experience got time in the preseason.
“You have to make do with what you got, and we have a
lot,” Peña said. “We’ve got young guys who
are veterans now.”
For now, the revolving door has stopped with sophomore Gray
Garrett starting at outside and a junior college transfer Allan
Vince at opposite. Sophomore Brennan Prahler is also in the mix
along with many others.
The Bruins also have the nation’s top two freshman
recruits in opposite hitter Matt McKinney and middle blocker
Patrick Nihipali waiting in the wings. McKinney is on a basketball
scholarship and will join the team after the hoops season.
Emerging junior Matt Shubin will start until Morrow returns.
The rest of the lineup is solid. Sophomore outside hitter
Jonathan Acosta, when healthy, is one of the top hitters in the
nation. Scates said that he has changed Acosta’s hitting
technique in order to avoid aggravating an abdominal injury.
Peña had a breakout season last year and will start as a
middle blocker. He has come on as one of the Bruins’ top
hitters, blockers and servers.
Senior setter Rich Nelson, in his third year as starter, is
getting National Team consideration and figures to have an
All-American season.
“Rich is setting the ball better than he has in his entire
career,” Scates said. “He could very well be the best
setter in the conference.”
Passing and digging behind Nelson is Volleyball Magazine’s
Libero of the Year, junior Adam Shrader. “Shrader is a great
libero,” Scates said. “He’s the best in the
nation.”
This team, as always, is loaded. But for the past two years, the
Bruins have failed to win the championship. They lost in the title
game two years ago and were upset last season in the first round of
the conference tournament.
“It’s been two years since we won the championship,
and that’s long enough,” Acosta said.
Another year, another guarantee.
“We’re definitely going to win it all,” Nelson
said. “I’m going out with a ring. I have so much
confidence.”