UCLA has historically been the premier men’s volleyball
program in the country, winning a record 18 NCAA titles.
For the last six years, however, a new program has emerged,
winning three championships and seeking to replace the Bruins atop
the sport.
That program, No. 3 BYU, is set to face off against No. 1 UCLA
in a pair of matches that will likely decide the MPSF title and,
more importantly, home-court advantage in the postseason MPSF
tournament. “That’s what the entire regular season is
all about,” UCLA coach Al Scates said. “Getting
home-court advantage for the playoffs.”
The Bruins (7-0, 3-0 MPSF) know that if they win this weekend,
they will likely avoid facing the Cougars (5-2, 1-1 MPSF) in the
postseason on their home court, where there will be a capacity
crowd of more than 5,000 for the two matches this weekend.
The winner of the MPSF regular season title will host the
conference tournament, so this weekend’s matches between BYU
and UCLA, co-favorites in the conference, are critical. More than
just home-court advantage is at risk, however, since the Bruins are
aware of the fact that the Cougars have been dominating the rivalry
lately.
BYU has beaten the Bruins four straight times in Provo, Utah,
and they have won six of the last eight overall matches.
“We feel we have something to prove,” freshman
setter Gaby Acevedo said. “The fact that we are No. 1 and
undefeated should not go unnoticed.”
Last year, the Bruins faced off against then-No. 1 BYU at Pauley
Pavilion and split their two matches, but their season eventually
ended against Long Beach State on BYU’s home court. “We
definitely didn’t like the way we finished last year,”
senior Paul Johnson said. “We realize we have the chance to
host, and we don’t want to pass up that
opportunity.”
This year, the Bruins have the privilege of hosting the NCAA
Final Four, and if they finish first in the conference rankings,
they will not have to leave Pauley Pavilion for the postseason.
Standing in the Bruins’ path to the postseason are the
Cougars’ tandem of Michael Burke and Victor Batista, both of
whom were integral members of the Cougars’ national
championship team.
This season, Batista is averaging an astounding 4.36 kills per
game while Burke is averaging 2.71 kills and 1.25 blocks per
game.
“We could not stop either player last year,” Scates
said. “But they don’t have as many options this time
around. UCSB, in fact, was able to limit Batista in their victory,
and we plan to do the same.”
Assigned to stop Batista will be Johnson, a middle blocker who
is leading the Bruins with 1.5 blocks per game and was recently
named AVCA national player of the week. Johnson recently stifled
the nation’s leading hitter in Pepperdine’s Sean Rooney
and will look do the same against Batista.
On the Bruins’ side is the fact that they have already
defeated two top-five teams this season and are fresh off a
thrilling comeback victory against crosstown rival USC last
Friday.
But the matches the Bruins have played so far will pale in
comparison to the atmosphere they will face this weekend.
“The guys have been talking about this game for weeks,”
freshman setter Gaby Acevedo said. “We’re all just very
excited.”
The Bruins can take solace in the fact that its youngest
players, Acevedo and freshman libero Tony Ker, both have
international volleyball experience and are used to playing in
front of large crowds in hostile environments.
“Some of the older guys were telling me about the
difficult atmosphere in Provo,” Acevedo said. “And I
just laughed. I’ve played in much worse situations
before.