STATE COLLEGE, Pa. “”mdash; The UCLA men’s volleyball
team’s remarkable road to the NCAA Finals was impressive
enough to persuade several MIT students to make the trip to Penn
State. Five members of the MIT volleyball team journeyed eight
hours to witness UCLA defeat Penn State for the Bruins’
record 19th NCAA Championship. “UCLA volleyball transcends
schools,” MIT sophomore Ryan Dean said. “We came here
just for the chance to see UCLA play, and it’s awesome to see
them win the national championship.” With only about 50 Bruin
supporters in a sold-out crowd of 5,453 at Penn State’s Rec
Hall, the MIT players made their presence known. They were on their
feet cheering in the UCLA section the entire match, and MIT
men’s volleyball team captain Praveen Pamidimukkala had his
face painted blue. For the MIT players, watching UCLA compete in
the NCAA Finals inspired them to try to be more like the Bruins.
“Steve Klosterman is actually my role model in life, and I
wish I was him,” Pamidimukkala said. “He’s so
incredible. If there was a vote for God, I would vote for
him.” Klosterman was voted the NCAA Tournament’s Most
Outstanding Player. He led the Bruins with identical lines of 14
kills and three errors in 29 swings (.379) in both of UCLA’s
NCAA Tournament matches. He also chipped in seven digs each match.
The MIT students also made the trip to support sophomore libero
Tony Ker, who played at Valencia High School with Dean. “I
came to watch Tony, but I just love UCLA volleyball in
general,” Dean said. “I’m so happy they won the
national championship after going so long without winning.”
The dominance the Bruins showed in defeating their opponents also
showed the high caliber of UCLA. Not only did they defeat Indiana
Purdue-Fort Wayne and Penn State, they swept both teams in three
straight games. “It only took them six games to win the
national championship, which is amazing considering how good the
teams at the NCAA Tournament are,” Pamidimukkala said.
“But that’s how they roll at UCLA.”
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Three Bruins received
All-Tournament recognition for their efforts in the NCAA
Championships. In addition to junior Klosterman, redshirt seniors
Damien Scott and Dennis Gonzalez were honored as All-Tournament
selections. Scott tallied 22 kills during the tournament, while
Gonzalez contributed 77 set assists to lead the Bruins to a .291
hitting percentage. Considering the shoulder surgery Klosterman
underwent last summer, his selection as the Most Outstanding Player
is a testament to the effort he has put forth this season.
“Steve went through major shoulder reconstruction last
summer, which takes a lot of work to rehab, and it has been good to
see him grow and improve so much this year,” UCLA coach Al
Scates said. “Steve is a much better player than he’s
ever been. He deserved the MVP award.” Other members of the
All-Tournament team included UC Irvine’s Jayson Jablonsky,
who was the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player
of the Year, and Penn State’s Dan O’Dell, Matt Proper
and Nate Meerstein.
QUICK SETS: The No. 2 Bruins and No. 4 Penn
State met for the fourth time in the NCAA Championship match, with
UCLA owning a 3-1 advantage. … Penn State is the only school east
of the Mississippi River to have won a national volleyball
championship. … UCLA won the NCAA title on its opponent’s
home floor for the third time. … The Bruins’ victory gives
UCLA a record of 52-7 in NCAA Tournament matches. … This,
UCLA’s first NCAA title of 2005-2006, is its 98th overall
team championship.