For UCLA outside hitter Jonathan Acosta, there will be no moping
on the sideline. “The team’s winning,” he
explained. But Acosta, a junior, has to be wondering why as the
team’s leading attacker last season, he has not appeared in a
match since March 12 when he led UCLA with 10 kills in a three-game
loss to Long Beach State. Coach Al Scates named on Monday senior
J.T. Wenger as his starter for Thursday’s match against
top-ranked BYU, but he is mum about who will start during the
team’s final few matches before the postseason begins. An
ongoing competition during practices will take place between Acosta
and Wenger. “Jonathan’s getting there,” Scates
said. “It’s very close.” Losing 25 pounds
following appendicitis surgery in January hasn’t helped
Acosta, nor has the post-finals funk, Scates cited. Wenger,
meanwhile, has started the last three matches and helped begin a
three-game winning streak for the Bruins. In that span, he hit
.318, leading the team in kills against UC Irvine last week and
Pepperdine. Wenger, the fourth-leading attacker on the team
averaging 2.88 kills per game, has played well, and Acosta, who has
averaged 2.56 kpg, wouldn’t expect anything less. “We
have two teams that can play on any given night,” he said.
The question is, which team will Acosta play for?
UNSETTLEMENT: Setter Aaron Dodd has beaten out
fellow sophomore Beau Peters for the second-string spot behind
starter Dennis Gonzalez. Dodd, who appeared in just three games
this season and six matches last year, suited up against USC and
Pepperdine but did not play. Peters, a transfer from Long Beach
State, had performed well as a spot starter and a server off the
bench.
LIFE’S A BEACH: UCLA volunteer assistant
coach Jeff Nygaard and professional beach volleyball partner Dain
Blanton were upset in the second round of the season-opening AVP
Fort Lauderdale Open on Saturday by George Roumain and Jason Ring
19-21, 22-20, 15-9. Nygaard and Blanton, the No. 4 seeds, had
defeated Ben Koski and Jeff Minc 21-13, 21-18 earlier in the day in
the opening round of the main draw.