With half of the season in the books, the UCLA women’s volleyball team has some time to sit back and reflect on the past as well as contemplate its future.
So far, the No. 11 Bruins (15-5, 5-4 Pac-10) have played well enough in Pac-10 competition to have a winning record. They tore through their preseason schedule, but once they hit the conference stretch, it became a struggle.
They were greeted with a match against rival USC that resulted in a loss and later suffered back-to-back losses against Washington and Cal.
Big wins against Stanford, Arizona and Oregon have kept the Bruins close in their quest for a Pac-10 title, but their fifth-place conference standing has them right in the middle of the pack.
“You see the scores … everyone beats everyone. It’s brutal out there, so I mean, it can be anyone’s night any weekend,” freshman outside hitter Kelly Reeves said.
Now, the Bruins are entering the home stretch.
“This is where we take it now,” Reeves added. “We’ve got to keep progressing and just win these crucial matches.”
The team that UCLA was at the beginning of the year is different from the one that takes the court nowadays. Part of that can be attributed to a few role reversals.
In September, sophomore opposite Rachael Kidder was switched to the outside hitter position and has since been a big factor in the Bruin offense. Kidder is currently riding a six-match streak in which she has notched 10 or more kills.
Reeves also had to make a position change. Instead of being on the outside, she is now on the right and has embraced the new role. Her defense at the new position is one of the causes for the Bruins’ recent success. In the last two UCLA wins, she has amassed 13 total digs.
Reeves has indeed been the sparkplug for the offense and describes her role as being an “Energizer bunny,” boosting the team’s intensity when she gets inserted into a match.
Because of these position changes, the team’s offense has taken on a new look. Senior outside hitter Dicey McGraw was initially the focal point of the Bruin offense, but now kill contributions are coming from all over the court.
“Everyone’s involved in the offense, which opens up holes. We have so many weapons, and we use them all,” Reeves said.
But what coach Mike Sealy sees as the biggest difference in his team between now and the start of the season is the development of maturity among the players. Sealy described how the team is more focused and has been locked in for quite a while.
“This is the first time that I can remember there being no bad practices,” Sealy said.
As the team’s setter, junior Lauren Van Orden is responsible for knowing all of her teammates’ styles and shot choices.
The team’s chemistry essentially revolves around her ability to set hitters at their favorite spots. Thanks to Van Orden and the emerging offense, chemistry is at an all time high.
“(Earlier in the season) we were missing connections, speed was off … system stuff like that,” Van Orden said.
“I think we’ve learned more so how to push each other; what to say, what not to say … just figuring out what works best for us.”