For the UCLA women’s volleyball team, the second time
facing the Oregon State Beavers was just as easy as the first
time.
UCLA (12-8, 5-6 Pac-10) swept the Beavers (8-10, 4-8) by the
score of 3-0 (30-21, 30-24, 30-25) and coach Andy Banachowski
picked up career win number 996 in what was an important match for
the Bruins’ postseason hopes.
Freshman outside hitter Kaitlyn Sather had 17 kills, while
junior and senior middle blockers Nana Meriwether and Nancy Barba
added 14 and 13 kills respectively. All three players had an attack
percentage over .400.
“Kaitlyn played strong for us tonight,” said coach
Andy Banachowski, who got another step closer to becoming the first
coach in NCAA women’s volleyball history to win 1000
matches.
“Our middle attack was very effective as well” the
coach said.
The Bruins had no trouble defeating the Beavers when they came
to Pauley Pavilion earlier this year; UCLA swept Oregon State 3-0
(30-24, 30-6, 30-13).
The rematch between the two teams came at a time when Oregon
State was riding high from a big upset in Berkeley where the
Beavers stunned the No. 15 Bears in five games.
Meanwhile, the Bruins were coming off of a match with conference
rival USC in which the team had played competitively, but still
lost.
“It was very important for us to win tonight,”
Banachowski said. “I told the team before the game, if we
play well again, we’re going to win.
“It restores a little bit of confidence to be rewarded for
playing well.”
With the victory, the Bruins ran their all-time record against
the Beavers to 39-2. The Bruins have now been victorious in eight
consecutive matches against the Beavers.
Banachowski is pleased with the attitude that his players have
shown throughout the ups and downs of this season and is happy
about the team’s mood as the Bruins head into the homestretch
of the season.
“We’ve retained a pretty upbeat outlook because
everyone recognizes that we’re getting better,”
Banachowski said. “Even when we lose we are not getting down
on ourselves.”
Next up for the Bruins are the Oregon Ducks, who the Bruins meet
tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in Eugene, Ore. UCLA has enjoyed success
against the Ducks similar to the success that they have had against
the Beavers. The Bruins are 42-1 all-time against Oregon, including
an easy 3-0 (30-15, 30-23, 30-24) victory earlier this season in
which the Ducks had a miniscule .009 attack percentage.