In what could have been a comfortable walk in the park, the
Bruins left Eugene, Ore., with an easy win, sweeping the Ducks
30-16, 30-18, 30-18. But two key players didn’t walk out of
The Pit entirely unscathed.
Senior libero Chrissie Zartman took a knee in the face from
teammate Colby Lyman, while diving for a ball in the second game,
but perhaps more frightening for UCLA, senior setter Krystal
McFarland went down late in the third game with what appeared to be
a right ankle sprain.
Zartman may have escaped with a minor bruise, but McFarland was
not as lucky. Her injury was diagnosed as a second-degree ankle
sprain, something that has coach Andy Banachowski a little
worried.
“I’m very concerned,” he said.
“I’m hoping she’ll be ready to play tomorrow. She
looked like she’ll be able to tough it out.”
Sophomore Tammy Jackson replaced McFarland after the injury and
will start tomorrow if McFarland is unable to play. The
Bruin’s injury list already included senior outside hitter
Heather Cullen, who did not travel with the team because of back
spasms. That left sophomore Katie Carter to start in Cullen’s
spot. Also missing was senior Brittany Ringel, who was benched for
the game due to a violation of team rules. Junior Nancy Barba
started in Ringel’s place.
Despite the unorthodox lineup and late injuries, No. 11 UCLA
(12-5, 5-3 Pac-10) had absolutely no trouble putting away an
overmatched Oregon (9-9, 1-7) squad. The Bruins, led by sophomore
Nana Meriwether’s 13 kills on .522 hitting, out-hit the Ducks
.285 to -.007. Senior Brynn Murphy also had 13 kills. Perhaps a
bigger key for UCLA was its defense, which stymied Oregon’s
hitters. The team had 78 digs on the night, led by Zartman’s
24. The Bruins also had 10 blocks in three games.
Due to the inexperience of Carter and Barba, Banachowski decided
to allow Zartman to serve. After racking up large numbers of
service errors, Zartman had previously been rotated out during her
service spot. But her aggressive jump serve paid dividends for the
Bruins, repeatedly setting up easy scoring opportunities. During
her serve in the first game, the Bruins went on an early 4-0 run to
take a 5-1 lead. The Ducks never truly responded.
UCLA will take on Oregon State tonight in Corvallis, Ore.
“Tomorrow night’s a different day, and we’ll
have a much tougher battle,” Banachowski said.