The Bruins may not know much about their next opponent, but that
doesn’t exactly frighten them.
As the UCLA men’s volleyball team faces defending NAIA
Champion Cal Baptist tonight at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins are
confident they’ll be walking away with a win, despite never
having seen the Lancers play.
“I have no idea what their team is like because I’ve
never watched one of their games,” UCLA coach Al Scates
said.
“I do know that they are beating good MPSF teams, and that
they have several solid players who come from all over the
world.”
Led by star outside hitters Seidu Ajanako and Shamsu Awudu from
Ghana, Cal Baptist won all four of its matches this year in
straight games. In addition to Ajanako and Awudu, the Lancers boast
an eclectic roster that includes players from Brazil to
Switzerland.
Dominating on offense and with a strong defense to boot, Cal
Baptist has an attack percentage of .444, while holding its
opponents to a measly percentage of.133.
“I scheduled matches I thought would be tough because I
wanted to be able to play some strong matches before league play
starts,” Scates said.
“We approach each match with the thought that we need to
take care of business and just roll through them to get to the next
game,” senior quick hitter Paul Johnson said. “These
early games set up the foundation for the entire season, and we
need to make sure to win so that we get off to a good
start.”
The team’s play lately has shown the Bruins to be a team
in need of little improvement. Not only are they physically strong
after only two weeks of practice, but the players appear to be
mentally sharp, evident by their strong serving and passing in
games thus far.
Determined efforts by Johnson and seniors Jonathan Acosta and
Kris Kraushaar have contributed to the Bruins current three-game
winning streak.
But, the play of senior Allan Vince, who played in only 22 games
last season, has been turning heads.
“Allan has far exceeded my expectations at this point in
the year,” Scates said.
“He is available in transition quicker than anyone and is
the team’s leading server. When he is serving, we have a 42
percent chance of getting a point.”