Dominant isn’t quite the word to describe the current No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball team. Instead, for the top-ranked Bruins, versatile should be the word of choice.
Whether it’s an imposing block, aggressive serving or pin-point passing, UCLA is capable of doing anything on any given night, if not everything.
For opposing teams, stopping UCLA’s multifaceted attack is nothing short of a challenge. Game plans can’t quite cover everything in the Bruins’ arsenal.
Like most teams before them, Northridge (6-10, 4-8 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) fell victim to UCLA’s balanced play in a 3-0 loss. UCLA (17-2, 11-1) now has a five-match winning streak and a nation-best 17 wins.
The Bruins showcased their versatility right out of the gate in the first set.
With the Bruins up 20-19, sophomore outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga stepped up to the service line. Little did anyone know, he would be the deciding factor in the set win.
Quiroga reeled off three straight service aces to give UCLA a four-point edge and an eventual set win, 28-26.
“He was definitely the reason we won the first set. We wouldn’t have won it without Gonzalo at the service line,” coach Al Scates said of Quiroga, who finished with a career-high six service aces.
Despite the set loss, the Matadors seemed to have gained a morale victory, hitting at a surprising .324 clip and taking the nation’s best team to a 26-26 tie deep in the first set.
“We were taken a little by surprise in the beginning, but we knew we just had to buckle down and play our game,” senior opposite hitter Nick Vogel said.
UCLA did just that by turning its attention to its defense, showing how easily the team can adjust from set to set.
“We really didn’t key in on their tendencies until the end of the second game,” senior middle hitter Thomas Amberg said. “So once we keyed in on their tendencies, we were able to slow them down. And I think that’s why we won.”
An improved defense and stronger block rallied the Bruins to cool the Matadors to a .032 hitting percentage in the next two sets.
With Northridge holding down UCLA’s outside hitters, it was Vogel who stepped up.
“The difference between being dominated the second and third set was we started going to Nick Vogel,” Scates said.
Vogel had a game-high 11 kills, which came on a .429 hitting clip. He’s now led the team in kills in two of the past three games.
“We know we have players all over the place that can have good games and at the same time, nobody’s perfect and some people can have off nights,” Vogel said. “You realize that’s going to be the case here and there and we’re all in a position where we’re ready to step up and play a little more intensely on a particular night.”