Now that the UCLA men’s volleyball team is atop the
national poll, opponents surely will be gunning for the Bruins.
It’s just like old times, only this time, the Bruins have
the unique perspective of having to pay back the teams that kicked
them when they were down last year during the worst season in
school history.
Cal State Northridge, which UCLA will face Friday at the
Matadome, is one of those teams. The Matadors took two of three
matches from the Bruins last year, including the two that count
toward the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings.
Not bad for a program that had previously been 3-44 all-time
against UCLA. “We have a lot of respect for this team,”
coach Al Scates said.
CSUN (8-3, 4-2 MPSF) has continued to garner the attention of
UCLA (9-1, 4-1), gaining a No. 5 ranking. The Matadors gave the
Bruins all they could handle in the final of the Elephant Bar
Invitational in Santa Barbara before falling 15-12 in Game 5.
Scates took from the match that CSUN has a deep bench to
complement leading attackers Dan Rhodes and Nils Nielsen. The
Matadors also now have won three straight matches following a
four-game home victory over UC Irvine on Wednesday.
“This team is going to be very tough,” Scates said.
“This could be the toughest match we’ve played all
season.”
UCLA, meanwhile, has won five matches in a row after sweeping
Division III UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday. The Bruins will be trying
to win their fifth consecutive MPSF match ““ something they
failed to do last season.
Then again, this is a new year.