This wasn’t where the Bruins wanted to be halfway through
the Pac-10 season.
Ranked No. 3 in the preseason, UCLA had high expectations. At
the time, a Pac-10 championship and a Final Four appearance
didn’t seem out of reach.
With five starters returning to the squad for their senior
season, the team was supposed to make some serious noise. Now, the
Bruins are just trying to get a lineup together that can produce
some wins.
Following a demoralizing loss in which No. 12 UCLA (13-6, 6-3
Pac-10) squandered a 2-0 lead to a Pepperdine squad with 11 losses
in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins must hold their home court this
weekend when they play Arizona State (8-10, 3-6) and Arizona (12-7,
4-5). Washington, the top-ranked team in the country, is running
away with the conference, and with two-time defending champion USC
and Stanford playing well, UCLA’s chance of winning the
Pac-10 has virtually disappeared.
At this point, the team is simply looking to establish itself,
get healthy, and make a strong second-half push. Still, the Bruins
aren’t the most confident group right now.
“(Losing to Pepperdine) was disappointing,
frustrating,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “It’s
pretty upsetting that we weren’t able to close things
out.”
“We’re just trying to regroup,” senior
Brittany Ringel said. “The loss was emotional for us, but we
just need to get it together and pick it up. We’ve had our
ups and downs, but we still need to peak at the right
time.”
Injuries, instability and inconsistency have plagued the team.
Senior setter Krystal McFarland went down with an ankle sprain
during the team’s win against Oregon last week, but is
expected to play sparingly in Friday’s match versus Arizona
State, and Banachowski is hoping that she will start Saturday
against Arizona.
Senior outside hitter Heather Cullen had an MRI on her back
Wednesday, but the results are not yet back. Her condition has not
improved and she will be unavailable for action this weekend.
Sophomore Becky Green will likely start at outside hitter in
Cullen’s place.
In addition to injuries, both Ringel and Cullen were suspended
for violating team rules last week, though Ringel will definitely
be in the lineup this weekend. The regular lineup ““ the one
that was projected to compete for a title ““ hasn’t been
able to practice together for nearly a month.
“We’ve had injuries, a lot of people out,”
Green said. “There’s been team conflicts. We
haven’t had that solid lineup that we had last year.
It’s hard going into every practice and learning a new
lineup. Once we get something consistent we’ll be fine. We
have the talent.”
UCLA defeated both the Wildcats and the Sun Devils on the road,
ending a five-match losing streak to Arizona on the way. In order
to repeat those results at home, Banachowski is emphasizing
consistency above all else.
“It’s really important for us to hold serve here at
home,” Banachowski said. “We’re a different
looking team from when we played them last. We need to be better
than they are with our ball handling, serving and passing. If we do
that, everything will fall into place.”