Locked in a heated struggle with its crosstown rival, UCLA
seemed poised to pull off what could have been one of the greatest
upset victories in school history. The Trojans, by far the most
dominant women’s volleyball program of the last two years,
were suddenly vulnerable in their 2003 NCAA Regional Final matchup.
But then-freshman Colby Lyman went down with an injury, and USC
recovered their championship form en route to winning their second
consecutive title. Now instead of wondering what might have been,
the No. 3 Bruins are looking forward to what should be a dominant
season and, perhaps, their best shot at surpassing USC as the team
to beat in the Pac-10. “We finished so strong last year, and
we’ve maintained that enthusiasm and that momentum,”
coach Andy Banachowski said. “We’ve got big hopes and
big expectations this year that we’ll be able to play even
better volleyball than we did last year. We’ve got a lot more
maturity and I think we’ll really improve as the season goes
on.” UCLA returns every starter from the team that went
toe-to-toe against the Trojans with the exception of Cira Wright,
who was lost to graduation. But the core of the team’s
offense and defense lies intact. Five seniors will carry the
lion’s share of UCLA’s season: outside hitters Brynn
Murphy, Brittany Ringel and Heather Cullen as well as setter
Krystal McFarland and libero Chrissie Zartman. Murphy, the
Bruin’s leading attacker from last year, will likely combine
up front with Ringel and Lyman, at least for the early portion of
the season as Cullen is still experiencing some lingering pain
after having offseason knee surgery. McFarland is the unquestioned
starter at the setter position, and Zartman is, as she has been
since the beginning of her career, one of the best if not the best
libero in the nation. Junior Nancy Barba and sophomore transfer
Nana Meriwether will battle it out to determine who will replace
Wright at middle blocker. Though the strength of the team is based
around the nucleus of senior leadership, UCLA’s young talent
may be what propels the Bruins into the upper echelon of elite
teams. Sophomores Lyman, Becky Green and Katie Carter all figure to
see significant playing time while Rachell Johnson, who redshirted
last season, gives UCLA a young, athletic option at outside hitter.
If they can stay healthy all season, the Bruins certainly figure to
live up to their lofty preseason ranking. In addition to
Cullen’s knee, Lyman missed most of spring practice with a
stress fracture and Green has experienced pain in her thumb in
recent practices. “We haven’t been at full strength at
practices, yet they’ve been very intense and very
strong,” Banachowski said. “We’re better in the
practice gym and that’s going to translate into better
performances on the court.” The season begins Wednesday at
Cal State Northridge, and UCLA will have to play well amidst a
hostile Matador crowd. That match should provide a springboard from
which the Bruins can jumpstart what could be an extremely promising
year. “We have a lot of expectations within ourselves, not
only from what happened last year but also just based on the team
we have now,” McFarland said. “It was a smart
scheduling move by (Banachowski), it really is. It’s a good
game to get the jitters out of the way, so by the time we go to
Texas we’ll be a little more relaxed,” said Murphy on
the season opener. After playing Cal State Northridge, the Bruins
will travel to College Station, Texas, to participate in the
McDonald’s/Texas A&M Invitational. From Texas, the team
will travel to Honolulu to play in the Aston Imua Challenge.
UCLA’s first home match is Sept. 24 against Washington.
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull; The NCAA has implemented a new rule
allowing a libero to serve. Zartman, considered one of the best
beach volleyball players in the country, could be a new and
unexpected weapon in the Bruin’s arsenal. Still, despite the
fact that it will probably help UCLA, Banachowski has never been in
favor of such a rule. “I think the libero position has enough
special characteristics of its own. (The rule change) isn’t
necessary,” he said.