Just after it had built up a comfortable winning streak, the seemingly unstoppable UCLA men’s volleyball team was taken down Friday.
UCLA started off hot and took the first two sets against Long Beach State, but the 49ers were able to capitalize on the Bruins’ insufficient serving and managed to force a fifth set, pulling off a dramatic 3-2 win.
Serving has always been an acknowledged soft spot for UCLA. The issue looked resolved after the team’s play in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Hawaii earlier this month, but in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Cal State Northridge and especially on Friday, it was obvious that there is much work to be done.
“That was a definite lapse in our game against Long Beach,” junior quick hitter Thomas Amberg said. “It really hurt us.”
Thanks to freshman outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga’s best performance yet, with .485 hitting and 20 kills in the match, and another strong performance by redshirt junior quick hitter Weston Dunlap, who totaled 14 kills, UCLA started off in control.
The Bruins took the first two sets 25-19 and 25-22. Long Beach State tied the match, winning the next two sets 25-14 and 25-20. Neither team shook off the other in the fifth until two Bruin errors at a 13-13 tie lost them the match.
UCLA totaled 22 service errors in the match.
“That is not something that we can accept as a team,” Amberg said.
With the final set tied at 12-12, junior setter Kyle Caldwell committed a crucial attack error when he hit the ball out-of-bounds. At least that’s what the call on the court was.
Coach Al Scates took another look after the match, and video footage showed the ball clearly landing in bounds.
“We easily could’ve won that game,” Scates said. “You get a bad call, it’s two points against you, the one you’re supposed to get and the one they really get, and it’s a big swing.”
But after 49 years of coaching, he’s seen it all before.
“That’s part of the game, especially when you’re playing on the road,” he said. “When you’re that close, anything can happen.”