Andy Banachowski is normally reserved, but he can’t help
but grin when he talks about his current squad. Already an
understated coach, Banachowski looks forward to the start of the
Pac-10 season with great anticipation.
“We’re much better than we were last year,” he
said.
Talk about an understatement.
Whereas the 2002 Bruins stumbled early and never regained their
footing, the 2003 UCLA women’s volleyball team is off to a
dead sprint. This year, the team is hoping its excellent start will
translate into a strong run in the Pac-10 season.
The No. 9 Bruins are 8-1, with their sole loss coming in a close
3-2 decision against No. 2 Hawai’i. Perhaps even more
encouraging is the fact that in all eight victories, opponents have
not taken a single game against the Bruins.
“This year is a brand new team. We’re coming
together really well, and we have a lot of fun playing with each
other,” junior Krystal McFarland said. “The team
chemistry is great.”
The influx of a premier freshman class and the maturation of a
talented nucleus of players has meshed together so well that the
team believes it is a legitimate contender.
“We want to go out and kill teams, we don’t want to
just play,” junior outside hitter Heather Cullen said.
“The way we played against Hawai’i shows we can play
with the elite teams.”
Though it is difficult to pinpoint the reason behind their
turnaround, the Bruins have nevertheless turned their greatest
weakness from last year ““ their hitting ““ into a
strength.
UCLA’s offense was often predictable and most matches saw
their hitting percentages dip far below .200. To this point in the
season, however, the Bruins are stinging the ball at a .323 clip, a
dramatic improvement.
The opposition, by contrast, is hitting an anemic .148.
“The team is starting to see the benefits of hard work in
the spring and winter,” Banachowski said. “We’ve
improved in all areas. Our hitting is way up as our outside hitters
have matured.”
Leading the attack is junior middle blocker Brynn Murphy.
Already with 111 kills on the season, Murphy is also hitting at a
.410 pace, far and away the best numbers of her career. Cullen is
second on the team with 73 kills.
Heralded freshman Becky Green leads the team with 11 service
aces to only 5 errors, bringing an element to the offense that was
sorely lacking at times in the past. Green is also hitting .374
with 54 kills.
Still, there are a few areas on which the team must improve.
Green is the only player serving the ball well. Cullen has 9 aces,
but 16 errors to go along with it. Junior Brittany Ringel has only
5 aces to 14 errors.
“We have the potential to do a lot better there.
That’s an area that needs immediate improvement,”
Banachowski said
Unfortunately for the Bruins, their first conference opponent
was the defending national champion and No. 1 overall USC Trojans.
As if the rivalry needed more intensity, the match was the first
game the Bruins play in Pauley Pavilion.
“It’s tough. I looked at the Pac-10 schedule and
wasn’t pleased,” Banachowski said. “Normally
I’d like to play USC a little later in the year, I think
that’s better for the rivalry.”
In 2002, the Bruins could not manage to take even a single game
against their heated rivals, going down 3-0 in both Pauley Pavilion
and the Lyon Center. Furthermore, the Trojans return virtually all
of their key starters.
Banachowski knows that although his team will be up against the
proverbial wall, there’s a key difference between last
year’s team and the current crop of Bruins:
“We’re a lot better than last year,” he
said.
This story went to print before the Sept. 19 match against
USC. For coverage of the match, please go to
dailybruin.ucla.edu.