With the second half of the Pac-10 slate starting this weekend, the UCLA women’s volleyball team has two fierce opponents staring it in the eye. The Bruins face off against their Bay Area rivals when Stanford and California come to Westwood.
The No. 7 Bruins are set to play No. 3 Stanford (19-1, 8-1 Pac-10) tonight. Stanford is a well-rounded team and is currently at the top of the Pac-10 standings with Washington. The Cardinal currently lead the Pac-10 in hitting percentage, assists per game and kills per game. They are second only to UCLA in digs per game.
When the teams first met in September, the Cardinal swept the Bruins in three games. Since that match, however, UCLA has made several lineup changes, and members have had time to mature into their positions.
“Stanford is a really good team and works really hard, and we are changing our strategy against them,” junior outside/opposite hitter Kaitlin Sather said. “We are approaching the match differently against them and have changed the lineups and the positions, so hopefully that will help.”
The leaders of the Cardinal are junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza and freshman outside hitter Alix Klineman. While Stanford utilizes its outside hitters from both the back and front rows, another potent force that the Bruins will have their eyes on is junior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo. In the first meeting between the teams, Akinradewo finished with 12 kills and an impressive .500 hitting percentage.
“She’s a really strong and smart player,” Sather said. “She gets up really fast, so that will be a challenge for our middles.”
If Akinradewo is able to get the ball past the blockers, the Bruins’ junior libero Jade Machado said she will have to hold her base position and just try to get the ball up.
“I personally think she is the most effective hitter on the other team because she basically hits straight down,” Machado said. “For me, if it’s straight down, then I will do my best to dig it.”
On Saturday, UCLA will take on No. 9 California (16-4, 6-3 Pac-10). Earlier this season, the Bears gave UCLA a run for their money, taking the Bruins to five games. After California won the first two games, UCLA came back to win the next three and the match.
“It was extremely stressful, but it was an exciting game,” Machado said. “I would definitely like to win it in three (games) at home in front of our home fans.”
The Bears rely on senior outside hitter Angie Pressey and sophomore outside hitter Hana Cutura, who led all players with 24 kills in the first meeting. The Bears have seen their national ranking improve, especially after they ended No. 4 Washington’s winning streak two weeks ago.
This weekend’s series is also significant for the Bruins as it is Breast Cancer Awareness weekend. The team is personally connected to the cause because assistant coach Kim Jagd was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.
“Just having a firsthand view of how terrible it is for people with breast cancer and how hard they have to fight to make it though, I think it’s really important to raise awareness so that people can survive,” Machado said.
The first 400 fans who arrive to tonight’s game will receive a Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirt. The first 2,000 fans on Saturday will get a Breast Cancer Awareness wristband.