Consistency has eluded the UCLA men’s volleyball team the
entire season.
Without a set starting lineup, the Bruins could not string
together more than three consecutive wins and lost 10 of 15 matches
in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
But not anymore.
With newfound stability gained from consistent starters, UCLA
(18-12, 10-10 MPSF) now has a six-game winning streak after
sweeping Stanford and Pacific last weekend.
“It’s so valuable to have a real starting
lineup,” senior Nick Scheftic said. “We each know what
our roles are and feel comfortable with the other players on the
court. The consistency we have now has given a boost to the
team’s confidence.”
After juggling lineups all season, UCLA coach Al Scates has
started the same players in each of the last six matches as the
team has rolled through its opponents, including four straight-set
victories.
The Bruins hope their renewed confidence will continue to grow
through their final two matches before league playoffs begin next
week.
“We need to win every match we have now if we are going to
make it to the NCAA Finals,” Scheftic said. “This team
is in a really strong position going into the playoffs, and (this
weekend) we showed the ability to finish strong, which is something
we hadn’t been able to do before.”
On Saturday, the Bruins proved that they can come back in games
they may have given up on earlier this season, erasing deficits in
the first two games of a 31-29, 31-29, 30-25 win over Pacific.
Facing a resilient Pacific team, UCLA responded with solid play
of their own, hitting at a .364 clip and limiting the Tigers to
.250.
“We probably should have lost the first two games against
Pacific, but I liked how we were able to come from behind and steal
the first two games from them by executing well,” Scates
said.
Leading the Bruins was senior Damien Scott, who had 15 kills and
only two errors for a .448 hitting percentage. He also contributed
eight digs and two block assists.
“Different guys step up on different nights, and Scott was
really hot (on Saturday),” Scates said. “He was
bouncing the ball off players into the stands, and nobody could
stop him.”
Another major contributor was junior Steve Klosterman, who
followed up an 11-kill performance in Friday’s relatively
easy 30-25, 30-20, 30-20 win over Stanford by smashing 17 kills
against the Tigers.
But the key reason the Bruins have been so successful recently
may be the play of freshman setter Matt Wade.
After taking over for the injured redshirt senior Dennis
Gonzalez, Wade has flourished in the starting role, where he is
responsible for running the team’s offense. He had 39 assists
against Pacific to give the Bruins their .364 hitting
percentage.
Wade’s execution of the offense has led to an overall team
improvement, as UCLA’s season hitting average is now at .306,
following the .378 the Bruins have hit during their six-match
winning streak.
“We’re hitting much better than we have been all
year, and a lot of that credit has to be given to Matt Wade,”
Scates said. “Our hitting average is escalating, and right
now we are hitting well enough to beat almost any team in the
country. Matt is giving people great sets. He really is on top of
his game.”
With two dominating weekend victories behind them, the Bruins
will focus on closing out the regular season strong, starting with
a match on Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara that could determine
home court advantage for the first round of the league
playoffs.
“We know how significant each match is now, and that any
more losses could mean the end of our season,” Scheftic said.
“Earlier in the year we didn’t realize the consequences
of each match, but now we’re more serious about winning
consistently and always putting in our whole effort.”