Aloha. It’s playoffs time.
The stakes are always high when UCLA renews its rivalry with
Hawai’i, but Saturday’s first round MPSF playoff match
should be particularly compelling.
The third-seeded Bruins (23-5, 18-5 MPSF) need to reach at least
the conference tournament finals or they will almost assuredly miss
the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.
The burden is even greater for the UCLA seniors, who could
become the first class in school history not to win an NCAA
championship during their four-year tenure.
“The goal of every player who comes to UCLA is to win a
championship,” senior opposite hitter Marcin Jagoda said.
“I don’t expect this year to be any
different.”
Marked by fierce competition and high emotion, the
UCLA-Hawai’i rivalry has featured some of collegiate
volleyball’s most intense matches.
In 1996, then top-ranked UCLA and No. 2 Hawai’i faced off
in the NCAA championship game at Pauley Pavilion and played an epic
five-game battle, with UCLA finally capturing the final trophy.
This Saturday’s matchup promises to be hotly contested as
well.
The Bruins and Warriors (17-11, 13-9 MPSF) split a pair of
regular season matches in February, although Hawai’i has
dominated the series of late. UCLA’s road victory was its
first in the past five matches between the volleyball powers.
“We are two evenly matched teams,” UCLA coach Al
Scates said. “They’ve had some very experienced players
the past two years, but this year they have a relatively young team
that we match up well against.”
UCLA has won its last three matches, but Hawai’i has been
in a rut. The Warriors split their final two matches against
fourth-seeded Pepperdine and come into the match stumbling.
In spite of the recent trend, UCLA is wary of Hawai’i and
knows it must play well to advance.
“They are a very good team,” Rofer said. “But
they have had many distractions this year, and their low seeding is
not a true reflection of their ability.”
Hawai’i had four of its players suspended during the
middle of the season and had lineup changes at both the setter and
opposite hitter position. Starters Matt Bender and Kimo Tuyay are
both new additions to the starting lineup.
“We had a lot of changes and distractions to the start the
season,” Hawai’i coach Mike Wilton said. “But we
have had the same lineup of late and have been playing very
consistently.”
Hawai’i’s lineup includes the lethal combination of
Delano Thomas and Pedro Azenha at the outside hitter position. Both
players are averaging nearly four kills per game on the season.
UCLA, on the other hand, has had pretty much the same starting
lineup for the entire conference season and should have its full
rotation for this Saturday’s match. That includes freshman
Steve Klosterman, who returns from shoulder tendinitis injury.
Jagoda has stepped up his game in Klosterman’s absence,
leading the Bruins with 17 kills in their last match.
“The last time we played the Bruins, Jagoda was able to
step in for Klosterman and changed the momentum of the
match,” Wilton said. “He is really a sparkplug for the
team.”
Jagoda is supported by senior middle blocker Chris Peña and
junior quick hitter Paul Johnson, who each average nearly three
kills per game.