After only one invitational and four regular season games in the span of about a month, UCLA sand volleyball has reached the most physically demanding part of its schedule – four games in a week.
The No. 8 Bruins (4-0) begin their quest to defend their undefeated record in Long Beach Saturday, where they will take on the No. 19 Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (9-4). The Roadrunners, riding a two-game winning streak, will be using this momentum in an effort to be the first team to add a point to the right side of the Bruins’ record.
UCLA has just four hours after the start of their first matchup before it heads into its second one against No. 5 Long Beach State. The 49ers (6-2) boast a three-game winning streak and a 2013 national title, but their two Saturday matches occur only two hours apart – both later in the day in the hot, midday sun. This could be a useful advantage for UCLA as it looks to notch its second upset win of the year, after defeating higher-ranked Loyola Marymount 4-1 March 11.
“(Coach) Stein (Metzger) has done a good job of letting us get used to the heat by practicing in the afternoon,” said fifth-year senior Madie Smith. “We’re doing different weights. He understands that we’re tired and we’re using our time well and he’s making it easier for us.”
When Saturday’s two-game slate is over, the Bruins will spend only a few short days back home before leaving once again. UCLA heads to Stanford for the three-day long Stanford Invitational next weekend, where fatigue will be yet another opponent for the Bruins to battle in such a short time. Many team members, like freshman Ivey Schmitt and her former partner, junior Kamila Tan, played straight through spring break at the Dad Center Invitational in Hawaii.
“We haven’t really had a break,” Schmitt said.
Even after two matches in one day at Long Beach, the Bruins must still fight on. When faced with long days, hot temperatures and tough teams, Metzger encourages his team to turn to each other for support.
“I think the concept of relying on each other and supporting each other as a team was super evident and it’ll help us moving forward,” Metzger said. “We’re pushing each other to a common goal.”