Kelly Reeves and Megan Moenoa know what it takes to be a champion. The senior outside hitter and junior
setter, both members of UCLA’s 2011 national championship team, have been to the pinnacle of their sport and have the rings to prove it.
However, as UCLA (13-12, 4-11 Pac-12) prepares to take on Washington State (16-11, 3-11), a match that pits the 10th- and 11th-place teams in the conference, the two players are learning a lesson this year that extends beyond the volleyball court.
“I’ll be brutally honest – it’s been tough,” Reeves said. “I think this year in particular I’ve grown a lot as a person and as a player, and I think looking at this season you can only grow from it and learn. Down the road in my career you’re going to look back on this year and you’re going to realize that, in these situations, what are you going to do to bounce back?”
UCLA will attempt to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to No. 3 Washington as the team searches for just its fifth conference win of the season. For comparison’s sake, the 2011 team had that many conference wins by September of its season.
In a season filled with more than its share of tough losses, Moenoa maintains that the team has been made closer in the face of such adversity.
“It’s definitely been one of the most challenging seasons: good and bad. The kinds of relationships we are forced to have and the way we are forced to bounce back after losing so much has been a huge challenge on everybody’s character,” Moenoa said. “I think the way we are able to bounce back and still be a team and still be a close team has been good for us all as women, and not just as athletes.”
While the 2011 team stormed through the NCAA tournament, winning 18 of 21 sets en route to the national championship, this year’s Bruins are in danger of missing the tournament completely. Sixty-four teams make the tournament, which begins Dec. 5, and UCLA currently is ranked 43rd in RPI. With the conference title out of the question and a tough final stretch, the Bruins’ spot in the tournament is anything but guaranteed.
“It’s coming down to the wire. Time is running out we need to start getting some good wins here on out,” Reeves said. “Now that we have five matches left, I think we can do well. We get five matches to finish off strong.”
With postseason play uncertain and the conclusion of the regular season nearly at hand, coach Mike Sealy emphasized the importance for his team to take it one game at a time, starting with what figures to be a tough Cougars team.
“They are tough as can be – always. They are a team that, no matter what, they are going to give every ounce of fight that they have,” Sealy said. “I’m not counting the matches. I’m not doing the math on it. If we play well enough to be rewarded a bid in the NCAA tournament, we’ll be thankful; we’ll get after it. If we don’t, hey – that was on us. We had plenty of opportunities to change that. We’re just going to go one game at a time.”