It’s been a while – a decade, to be precise – since UCLA men’s volleyball was last headed to the NCAA Tournament. But, as good as the 2016 squad is, it doesn’t command a compelling storyline like the 2006 squad, which overcame all odds.
The 2006 Bruins were a middling 12-12 by the time spring break rolled around, including two straight-set losses at the hands of John Speraw’s UC Irvine Anteaters. UCLA soon caught fire, reeling off 14 straight victories to capture the team’s 19th national championship in program history.
Not without help, though.
UC Irvine, which held the No. 1 seed in both the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and NCAA Tournament, faltered twice, leaving a path of less resistance for upstart UCLA.
The first time came against Long Beach State in the league semifinal. The Bruins handled the 49ers two nights later to win the conference.
The second was a loss to Penn State in the national semifinal. The Bruins would go on to sweep the Nittany Lions on their home court in the championship match.
Even without help from external forces, UCLA’s turnaround season under legendary coach Al Scates was impressive – something recognized by Speraw, a rival coach at the time.
“When a team that expects to be very good struggles, it can be frustrating and the team can get discouraged,” Speraw told the Daily Bruin back in 2006. “But (Scates) kept them motivated and focused on the ultimate goal of winning a championship.”
That was before the first matches of the NCAA Tournament. Then the Anteaters lost, the window of opportunity was thrown open and the Bruins leapt through. It was a dominant ending to a storybook season, but UCLA certainly got lucky in avoiding Irvine along the way.
Fast forward to 2016 and you find a year that probably can’t be characterized as a Cinderella season in any sense of the term. UCLA never really struggled, opening with 10 straight victories. There have been no catastrophic injuries, no standout seniors looking to savor one last moment in the spotlight. The team kept the dramatics to a minimum throughout much of the season.
Not everything is different, though. The Bruins have a new roadblock – a rival who, unlike the Anteaters of 2006, refuses to get out of the way.
If anything, Saturday’s loss in the MPSF championship match actually does give No. 2 seed UCLA a truly compelling storyline – an underdog story, a chance at a David and Goliath moment.
All UCLA needs to do is find a way past top-seeded BYU.
The Anteaters were taken care of before they could reach the MPSF finals a decade ago, but the Bruins received little help in knocking the Cougars out in the 2016 conference tournament. Instead, a four-set championship match loss marked the UCLA’s third of the season to BYU, and none of the three showdowns were all too close.
Speraw – now wearing Bruin blue – was clear following the regular season series sweep earlier this month: His team simply wasn’t good enough yet. Well, the initial playoff verdict is in, and UCLA wasn’t good enough then, either.
Which begs the question – how will that be any different in two weeks’ time?
If the 2006 team taught the volleyball world anything, it was that sometimes there’s nothing wrong with letting everybody else do your dirty work.
Both teams have a bye into the NCAA semifinals in just under two weeks, and BYU will face the winner of the first play-in match between No. 4-seed Long Beach State and No. 5-seed Erskine.
The bad news for the Cougars is that – despite just three losses to date – their worst showing of the 2016 season came back in late January in a sweep at the hands of the 49ers.
UCLA must first take care of business against either No. 3-seed Ohio State or No. 6-seed George Mason to even reach a potential rematch of a rematch of a rematch against BYU. While the Bruins defeated both schools in nonconference play earlier this year, the Buckeyes have gone a stunning 27-1 in their remaining matches.
UCLA’s storybook ending might conclude with the team finally conquering BYU two weeks from now, but that fantasy may never materialize.
I’m not saying the Bruins’ only hope is for a Cougar upset, but we’ll never know what would have happened back in 2006 if Scates’ team hadn’t managed to avoid the Anteaters twice.
Just two wins from the program’s 20th national championship, UCLA may suddenly find itself rooting for one of the rival teams it has been bumping up against all year.