In a season in which the other perennial men’s volleyball
powers are rebuilding, UCLA may have the best chance to take
advantage.
The Bruins, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, will rely on four
returning senior starters as they begin their quest for their first
NCAA title in five seasons at this weekend’s Elephant Bar
Invitational in Santa Barbara.
“We expect a lot out of our seniors this year,” UCLA
coach Al Scates said. “They know their role and are expected
to lead.”
UCLA, which finished third in the MPSF last season behind BYU
and Long Beach State, believes it has the personnel to compete with
those teams this season. Though the Bruins lost seniors Chris
Peña, Adam Shrader and Marcin Jagoda to graduation, three of
UCLA’s top four hitters from last season are returning and
each will provide a steadying influence on the team.
Seniors Paul Johnson and Kris Kraushaar as well as sophomore
Steve Klosterman are all known for being laid back and it has
provided for a much looser atmosphere for this year’s
team.
“I think everyone this year is out to have fun while I
heard last year was much more structured and disciplined,”
freshman libero Tony Ker said. “Our team is very close-knit
and an awesome group to be around.”
Off to a 5-0 start in preseason, UCLA’s first true test
will come tonight. The Bruins will face UC Irvine, a team they
already swept 3-0 in the preseason. If they win that match, they
will play the winner of the UCSB-Long Beach State match that takes
place afterwards.
All three teams in the Bruins’ bracket are expected to be
contenders this year in the MPSF, so this weekend will be an
important experience for the Bruins’ two key freshmen
starters ““ Ker and setter Gaby Acevedo.
“Every match is a learning experience,” Scates said.
“The more action they see, the better for our
team.”
Luckily for the Bruins, both freshmen have experience playing
internationally.
Ker played on the U.S. junior national team this past summer
while Acevedo has been a member of the Puerto Rican national team
for a few seasons.
Both got off to a strong start in the preseason, and the team
hopes they will continue that this weekend.
“We played very well in the preseason,” said
Acevedo. “But there are still a lot of things we need to
improve on individually and this tournament will be a good stepping
stone for us.”
The pressure for Ker this season will be replacing Shrader, an
All-American libero who graduated last year as UCLA’s
all-time dig leader.
“Adam was an amazing player at this program and I realize
it’s going to be a lot of pressure for me to duplicate his
performance,” Ker said. “But I feel I’m up for
the challenge.”
All the Bruins would do well to bring the same attitude.
Otherwise the hype surrounding this year’s team could be too
great a burden to handle.