It was almost unthinkable. The Bruins were 5-10 in conference
play and were on the outside looking in for the MPSF Conference
Tournament.
During that time, UCLA’s players and coaches talked about
how they kept their goal in mind from the beginning of the
season:
Win their conference tournament, and win the national title.
The Bruins are remarkably only one win away from reaching their
first goal after dismantling No. 3-seeded Pepperdine 30-26, 30-28,
30-23 in the MPSF semifinals at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.
“We had the same thinking the entire season,” UCLA
coach Al Scates said. “If we got to our conference tournament
and we’re playing at our best, there is no reason why we
can’t win the national title.”
For the Bruins, who are able to clinch the MPSF’s
automatic bid Saturday to the NCAA Final Four, it was the
continuation of their superior play, which dates back to March 17,
when their 11-match winning streak began.
UCLA has defeated every team in the conference except one:
top-seeded UC Irvine.
“This is definitely a different team than the one we
played earlier this season,” Waves coach Marv Dunphy said.
“They may have the same guys, but they are playing at a
different level right now.”
“We got together during that time and decided we were
ready,” Scates said sarcastically. “We knew we would
put it together eventually.”
The Bruins started their domination Thursday against the Waves
from the outset.
UCLA hit .361 in the first game, and redshirt senior quick
hitter Nick Scheftic finished with six kills in only seven
attempts.
UCLA also had six blocks in the first game and made sure the
Waves’ lethal combination of John Parfitt and Andy Hein never
came to fruition.
“Our guys just got over the block really quickly and
anticipated their sets,” Scheftic said. “It was an
all-around effort. We got stops from all our guys.”
The insertion of senior setter Dennis Gonzalez into the starting
lineup was also instrumental to the Bruins’ quick start. He
had previously been coming off the bench since injuring his ankle
in a game against Hawai’i early in March, but he was clearly
ready to start against the Waves.
Gonzalez had 48 of the Bruins’ 53 assists, and they
converted points on over 53 percent of his sets.
“These guys have been carrying me while I have been
out,” Gonzalez said. “I felt it was my time to show I
could help them out as well.”
The Bruins had one of their best hitting outputs of the season
with Gonzalez at the helm. The Bruins hit .379 in the match and an
astounding .500 in the third and final game.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Paul George and Scheftic led the
Bruins with 16 kills each, while redshirt senior outside hitter
Damien Scott and junior opposite Steve Klosterman both had 10.
Thursday’s match was the third-straight in which the
Bruins had four players in double-digit kills.
“Our balance is crucial for us right now,” Scott
said. “All our guys are playing on fire, and it’s
giving us all the momentum going into every match we play.
“If one guy doesn’t play his best, we have other
guys who can step up.”
That is an accomplishment for a team considered to be going
through a rebuilding season.
The Bruins will now face No. 4 Long Beach State in the MPSF
finals on Saturday night. The Beach advanced to the finals by
upsetting UC Irvine, 30-26, 30-20, 30-23, in the other semifinal
Thursday night.
The Bruins lost two of three to the 49ers during the season but
swept them at home when they last played them.
“We really don’t care who we are playing right
now,” Gonzalez said. “We are playing at such a level
where the only thing we have to worry about is
ourselves.”
If the Bruins are going to keep their improbable run alive and
move into the final tournament, they will have to keep up their
level of play.