Since 1965, Pauley Pavilion has been the home for UCLA athletic teams ranging from basketball to gymnastics. 46 years later, an era is coming to a close. Pauley will undergo renovations during the 2011-2012 academic school year, meaning all of the triumphs, sorrows, cheers and tears of the last half-century will be history ““ at least for one season.
The UCLA men’s volleyball team’s match against UC Irvine tonight will be the last athletic event in Pauley before it is renovated.
The No. 7 Bruins (13-9, 6-8 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) are riding a five-match win streak that has bumped them up to eighth in the MPSF, only three games behind fourth place, which is the cutoff for getting home-court advantage come playoff time.
The No. 5 Anteaters (12-10, 9-7) are currently tied for fifth place in the division in a stellar season in which they have only lost to No. 1 USC, No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 BYU and No. 3 Ohio State since Jan. 15.
UC Irvine is led by junior Carson Clark, who is currently second in the MPSF in kills, and senior Cory Yoder, who has an outstanding hitting percentage for an outsider hitter at .407, which is the highest average amongst all outside hitters in the MPSF.
With a win, the Bruins can inch closer to .500 in league while also closing out their home in style.