While Bruin supporters are pulling for their volleyball team
this weekend, the NCAA might just have a vested interest in seeing
UCLA win its semifinal match against Penn State on Thursday too.
With UCLA and Pepperdine both playing in Pauley Pavilion, the NCAA
Tournament is expected to draw a large contingent of regional
pride. And ticket sales will likely be at their highest if both
teams reach the finals. “The crowd definitely will not be as
good if we don’t make it to the finals,” UCLA coach Al
Scates said. While making the tournament is considered the biggest
accomplishment, drawing a big crowd would be a nice reward. The
Bruins and Waves set an all-time attendance record in the 1998
championship game at Hawai’i, drawing a total of 18,901 fans
for the Final Four. UCLA’s athletic department and tournament
officials are hoping this weekend will be equally popular.
“Sales are brisk,” sports information director Rich
Bertolucci said. “There has been a definite jump in ticket
sales since the announcement of the competing teams.” The
last time UCLA faced Pepperdine in the finals, at Pauley Pavilion
in 1984, an attendance record was set and not broken until 1998.
One of the reasons they bring a huge crowd is the Waves’
loyal fan base. Despite completing its spring term, Pepperdine
attracted its second largest crowd when hosting the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation Championships last weekend. The largest,
when the Bruins visited Malibu, attracted 2,400 fans in a gym that
holds only 3,124 people. With more press outlets covering this
event and with the NCAA increasing publicity itself, the teams feel
even more fans will be lured in. “We’ve had a fair
amount of press exposure from the L.A. Times and other
newspapers,” Scates said. “There’s enough press
to get the word out, which will draw a lot of people.” Two
deterrents from drawing in students may be the price and timing.
The semifinals fall on Cinco de Mayo, and some students have been
reluctant to pay $18 for the whole event. Scates, however,
doesn’t feel this will be that big of a problem. “It is
hard to think students won’t come because of the ticket
prices,” Scates said. “They spend that much on a
show.” Winning the championship would vindicate a year of
hard work for the Bruins. They would like nothing more than a large
crowd there to see it.
INJURED VINCE: Just as most of the Bruins were getting back to
full strength, they suffered another blow Tuesday. Middle blocker
Allan Vince sprained his left ankle in practice and will be a
game-time decision Thursday against Penn State. He saw a doctor
Tuesday who said the ankle was not broken. “He will be
evaluated Thursday morning, and we will make a decision
then,” Scates said.