After reaching the final four for the first time in 12 years last season, the UCLA women’s volleyball team will enter its 2007 campaign as the third-ranked team in the Pac-10.
Stanford was the overwhelming favorite in the preseason poll, receiving eight of the 10 first-place votes. USC came just ahead of UCLA in second place. The Bruins and Trojans each received one first-place vote.
The Bruins will open their season at the AVCA Showcase in Omaha, Neb., the same site where their 2006 season ended just short of a title. They will start with Utah on Aug. 24, and could potentially face Nebraska on Aug. 25 in a rematch of last year’s final four.
“We definitely could have won that match,” senior Rachell Johnson told CSTV.com. “But it’s still a learning experience.”
The AVCA showcase is one of four preseason tournaments the Bruins will play. They will travel to Honolulu, Irvine and San Diego to play in those tournaments before their first game at Pauley Pavilion on Sept. 20 against Arizona.
Four starters return from last year’s team that finished with a 33-4 overall record. All-American setter Nellie Spicer will return for her junior season to lead the Bruins. Johnson will serve as one of the team’s captains.
“I’m pretty much a seasoned veteran,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen a lot of coaching staffs, alot of offenses and defenses, and I think that’s something that will help me guide this team.”
UCLA will add five freshmen to its roster. Outside-hitter Dicey McGraw, middle-blocker Katie Mills, setter Stephanie Nucci, outside-hitter Juliane Piggott and setter Jazmin Machado all join the Bruins after stellar high school careers.
The Bruins will also welcome Kim Jagd as their assistant coach. Coach Andy Banachowski promoted her in June.
“Kim has been a constant fixture in our program for the last dozen years,” Banachowski told uclabruins.com. “She has been deserving of this promotion for some time. Her efforts in our recruiting have been tireless and have resulted in the outstanding athletes that we have in our program.”
LEE MEDALS AT WESTERN AMATEUR: UCLA junior Lucas Lee received medalist honors this weekend at the Western Amateur in Benton Harbor, Mich. The junior from Torrance came in first in the opening half of the prestigious tournament ““ the 72-hole stroke-play competition. He fired a 65 in the first round Friday and a 71 in the second to finish in first among a field of the nation’s amateur golfers.
By medaling in the stroke-play competition Lee joined an illustrious group of past Western Amateur medalists including PGA star and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson.
Lee entered the 16-player match-play competition Saturday as the top seed. He fell in the first match of the day to University of Illinois senior Kyle Hosick..
Another UCLA golfer, Kevin Chappell, made the match-play round as well. The senior from Fresno finished in 13th in the stroke-play tournament but fell in his first match Saturday to Rickie Fowler, who will be a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2007.
Compiled by Sam Allen, Bruin Sports senior staff.