The UCLA men’s volleyball team has had its fair share of
heart-breaking five-game losses. But two of the three most recent
have come at the hands of No. 3 Cal State Northridge.
In both matches, the Bruins had taken the Matadors to the brink
and were on the verge of a sweep, when Northridge came back and
left UCLA empty-handed at Pauley Pavilion. The Matadors knocked the
Bruins out of the MPSF playoffs last season and won again earlier
this season on Feb. 10.
In its last match of the regular season, No. 7 UCLA (18-12,
11-10 MPSF) will attempt to steal a match back from the Matadors
(18-9, 13-8) tonight in the Matadome.
“Losing, it doesn’t matter when it is, but it just
adds more to it (due to the fact) they’ve done it twice and
that we were so close,” redshirt senior Damien Scott
said.
Though this match won’t have the win-or-die consequences
of a playoff match, a loss for the Matadors would still be
demoralizing, because Northridge will celebrate its senior night
against the Bruins.
“Everyone wants to win on their senior night,” Scott
said. “For them to go out in a loss, make them lose, and keep
our winning streak, I would love to do it.”
“Just the fact that they’ve beaten us twice at home
in five, I’d just like to go take it to them at their home
court and finish our regular season with a win,” sophomore
libero Tony Ker said.
As the Bruins well know, seniors are a dangerous and emotional
force on their commemorative nights. UCLA has played in its own
senior night already and played against UC Santa Barbara on its
senior night on Wednesday.
“Boy we’re getting a lot of senior nights wherever
we go,” UCLA coach Al Scates said. “That would be
delightful (to spoil their senior night). We went to Santa Barbara
(Wednesday) night, and they brought the band, the stands were
packed, and probably the same thing is going to happen at
Northridge. Everybody comes out for these seniors.”
“I think since it’s their senior night,
they’ll come out, maybe bring a little more energy,”
Ker said. “But we’re just going to go out there and
just make sure we keep on playing our game and not focus so much on
what they’re bringing to the table.”
Despite the lack of opportunity to move up in the standings, the
Bruins will still have a lot to play for tonight. On a seven-game
winning streak, UCLA hopes to double that by the season’s
end. The Bruins hope to ride their momentum all the way to College
Park, Pa., in Penn State, where the NCAA Final Four Tournament will
be held in May.
“We’re going to host Santa Barbara next Wednesday,
regardless of the outcome of this match,” Scates said.
“It’s just I’d like to see our momentum continue
““ we’ve won seven in a row, I’d like to keep
winning the next seven.”