It was match point, and Scott Vegas – UCLA’s only graduating senior – was serving. The serve went directly into the net, prompting a groan from the crowd, who had risen to its feet. Vegas, a redshirt senior opposite, had missed an opportunity to give his regular season career at UCLA a picturesque ending, but he knew he was about to get another chance.
“I missed the serve, and I think the score was 24-15,” Vegas said. “I was thinking I was probably going to get the next 10 sets until we won.”
Following the USC serve on the very next point, redshirt junior setter Connor Bannan teed the ball up for Vegas, who slammed it straight into the face of a USC player. The ball was launched high into the air, grazing the overhead scoreboard.
The game was over. The Bruin players mobbed Vegas: It was his moment.
“I watched Connor set the ball and I was actually a little late to the set, so all I had was to just hit it straight,” Vegas said. “Their guy just happened to jump straight into it and off the face. … The guys were saying it was the greatest point they’ve ever seen. It was good, I was happy to go out like that.”
While Vegas hasn’t seen consistent playing time throughout the season, Friday night showed just how much he means to this team.
“He’s an unbelievable gentleman, he handles himself in a fantastic way,” said coach John Speraw. “You could see what a great teammate he is by the response from the team when he performed like he did (Friday). … I think everyone was really happy for him.”
The memorable point capped off No. 3 UCLA’s sweep of USC; it was a perfect way for the Bruins to end the season.
The Trojans, who had already been eliminated from the postseason, were expected to produce an inspired performance in their last game of the season. However, the match was one-sided from the beginning; the difference between the two teams was crystal clear.
“It was easy to get pumped up for this one; it’s USC,” Bannan said. “We didn’t really need to say much in the beginning of the game to get going; it was just fun to come out here and play.”
The players didn’t need any extra motivation, but it came anyway. It came in the form of the largest crowd of the season at Pauley Pavilion, complete with costumes and huge cardboard cutouts of the faces of the Bruin players. There was even a small contingent of USC students sitting near the student section, but most left early in the third set.
UCLA is headed to the playoffs as a serious contender for the national championship. While the expectations are as high as they’ve been all year, coach Speraw knows there’s still work to be done.
“It’s exciting for the guys but we also need to stay grounded and realize that we need to continue to improve if we want to reach our final goal,” Speraw said. “I’ve got a list. I wrote down eight things during the match (Friday) that we need to improve. So we still have work to do, and a short amount of time to try and fix some of those things.”