It was all too familiar.
Eight months ago, the women’s volleyball team found itself dejected in Omaha, Neb., after being knocked out of the Final Four by host Nebraska. This past weekend, the Bruins found themselves in uncomfortably similar shoes.
Two matches into the new year, the No. 5 Bruins have already played two familiar opponents to familiar results.
On Friday, UCLA kicked off its season by beating No. 21 Utah 30-23, 30-21, 30-27. The Bruins had previously swept the Utes out of national championship contention in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. UCLA then went on to play the No. 1 Huskers on Saturday, yet again on their home court. Once again, the Bruins met a similar fate, losing in four games, 23-30, 30-22, 18-30, 21-30.
“Nebraska is every bit as good as they were last year; we are not as good as last year,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “But it was good to see a quality opponent. It told us a lot about ourselves and what kind of team we are.”
Though the opponents were similar, the makeup of the UCLA team was noticeably different with the start of a new year. For the first time, the Bruins tested out a lineup without departed seniors Nana Meriwether, Katie Carter, and Colby Lyman. Banachowski filled the void with senior Meghan Schoen in the middle, freshman Dicey McGraw on the outside, and juniors Jessica Fine and Jade Machado splitting time at libero.
“It’s a big difference for a freshman and senior,” Banachowski said of McGraw’s first action as Carter’s replacement. “She had a good outing this weekend and showed she’s going to be a really good player for us.”
The returning starters also performed well in the Bruins’ 2007 debut. Junior Ali Daley had a team-high 11 kills against the Utes and 19 in the loss to the Huskers. Senior cocaptain Rachell Johnson also put down 19 balls Saturday, hitting a clip of .500.
“(Johnson) had an outstanding performance,” Banachowski said. “I think when she’s on the court she’s one of the leaders. (Daley) is becoming a leader in a quiet way because we rely on her to do many things out there.”
This weekend, UCLA will face yet another familiar foe in the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine, whom the Bruins beat on their home court in the Regional Finals last season en route to the Final Four. After this week’s 1-1 performance, Banachowski and the Bruins already have some goals and modifications in place as they move further into the young season.
“We played well in spurts (this weekend), but we couldn’t sustain the effort,” Banachowski said. “We have to really work on our transition game. Being able to dig and score is going to be key to our success this year. Our attack in transition is our main focus.”