Coming off a three-game sweep against Long Beach in its final home game of the season, the UCLA men’s volleyball team hopes to conclude its regular season tonight against UC San Diego in the best possible way: with a victory.
While the No. 4 Bruins (18-10, 12-9) have had their ups and downs this season, they are 15-4 since going 6-7 in January and have beaten No. 2 UC Irvine and crosstown rival USC in their current four-game winning streak. As the postseason approaches, the team is playing better than ever at just the right time.
“I think we’re on a good track,” senior Steve Klosterman said. “We’re playing our best volleyball at the end, which we wanted to be doing from the beginning. I think we’re in a good spot now going into the playoffs.”
However, before the playoffs begin, the Bruins have one last regular-season game against the Tritons.
“They’re a scrappy team,” Klosterman said. “They’re always competitive. They’re not going to be a pushover even though they’re not in the playoffs. We’re looking forward to that last game of the regular season before we have to go on the road and defend our title.”
The last time UCLA faced UCSD was on March 2 at Pauley Pavilion, when the Bruins swept the Tritons in three games (30-27, 30-23, 30-25). That game came right after a disappointing loss to Long Beach, who was later swept by UCLA.
This time around, the Bruins are going to be facing the Tritons after an exciting win over the 49ers and are going into tonight’s match with nothing but confidence.
“We’ve got some good wins under our belts now and don’t want to take any steps backwards before the playoffs,” redshirt senior Paul George said.
Although the Bruins are not trying to overlook UCSD, they are well aware that their most important games of the season are yet to come.
“We’re gearing up mentally to play Santa Barbara and Pepperdine; those are two real tough matches,” George said. “We probably have to play Santa Barbara on the road and Pepperdine, so it’s not going to be an easy road, and I think we are going to be prepared for that one.”
UCLA’s main goal for tonight’s match is to keep up the team’s momentum going into the playoffs and what the Bruins hope will be a run at the school’s 100th NCAA title.