UCLA and Loyola Marymount University have already squared off on sand volleyball courts earlier this season, but enough has changed in three weeks to make this second meeting of the season seem like an all-new matchup.
When the two teams meet for the second time this season Wednesday, it won’t be amid the sea breeze-filled beaches of Playa del Rey, where No. 9 LMU’s (2-6) home courts are located.
“We will get some windy days where there are some swirls around here, but it won’t be like some locations where it’s a tornado,” said coach Stein Metzger with a laugh.
UCLA’s courts also offer deeper sand, so while the wind may not be as much of a factor, Metzger said it’ll be another matchup where ball control will be the key to taking the contest.
But it’s under those conditions that the Bruins spend most of their days honing their skills, and it’s why junior Kamila Tan believes playing on the courts at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center will benefit the Bruins.
“It’s a huge home-court advantage. We practice here every day,” Tan said. “We feel really comfortable here.”
But even though the Bruins took the first contest against the Lions 4-1 on March 11, the lineup switches that UCLA unveiled Saturday promise fresh matches.
“It’s a rematch, but also all the teams are different,” said senior Zoë Nightingale. “We’re going to have to work together to figure out what we need to do against them.
In the previous matchup against LMU, Nightingale won the No. 5 doubles with freshman Lexi Jasper-Baylin. Her current partner at the No. 2 doubles spot, Tan, played at the No. 1 spot with freshman Ivey Schmitt, falling to LMU’s Betsi Metter and Sarah Sponcil in three sets. The task of finding UCLA’s first win at No. 1 doubles now falls on the duo of fifth-year senior Madie Smith and freshman Elise Zappia.
Although UCLA will be putting its pristine home record on the line against LMU, Metzger said beyond that, Wednesday’s matchup will have large implications for the team’s postseason aspirations.
“A couple of the really good teams that we’ll have to beat to make it to national champs are LMU and (Cal State) Long Beach,” Metzger said. “My hope is that the student body will come out and support us because those are the matches that will make the difference for our season.”