With an offense stacked with returning starters and a defense anchored by the reigning Pac-12 libero of the year, UCLA women’s volleyball is looking to go even further than last year’s third round finish – the Bruins want to contend for a national championship.
“I know everyone always says, ‘We want a Natty, we want a Natty,'” said senior middle blocker Claire Felix. “But I think this year everyone is truly invested in doing what it takes to get to that point.”
Seven of the nine players who started last year are back, but coach Michael Sealy says he doesn’t view 2016 as a peak year for the program. He cited 2012, when the Bruins returned many of their hitters from the 2011 national championship team but only made it to the second round of the tournament.
Even with all of the returning players, Sealy said four of the five freshmen could step in and play a substantial role this season.
“I think it’s good for team chemistry,” said libero Taylor Formico. “I think we have a really good chance this year and we talk about it a lot because we have so many returners who started that are coming back, plus great people coming in that are going to compete with us and make us that much better.”
Despite how many battle-tested players will be returning to their positions, Sealy doesn’t view his team as a separated group of starters and backups. The lone position in which Sealy immediately named a starter was libero.
Formico will look to continue the type of play that earned her Pac-12 Conference Libero of the Year honors last fall. She’ll have to do it alongside a new set of defensive specialists, though, with both Rachel Inouye and Karly Drolson having graduated last spring.
“Last year was like having three liberos on the court at all time,” Formico said. “We were best friends. It’s a bummer that they’re gone, but we have people coming in and stepping up … We have a lot of athletic people, so we’re filling that role like we need to.”
One of those athletic players is Zana Muno, who Sealy called one of the fastest girls in the country last season when Muno was the starting setter. She will transition to defensive specialist this season, but Sealy said she could still set or even play opposite if the need arises.
Other players who could get time at defensive specialist include redshirt sophomore Taylor Schlener and freshman Jamie Robbins.
On the offensive side of the ball, Ryann Chandler will look to put her injury struggles from last year behind her as she and freshman setter Kylie Miller run the Bruins’ offense this season.
The middle blocker position features the only two remaining players from the 2013 freshman class: Jennie Frager and Claire Felix.
The seniors were the top two attackers in hitting percentage last season, but Sealy wouldn’t name them as outright starters. Redshirt freshman Alexa Dreyer has been hitting for high percentages in practice, and Sealy called freshman Madeleine Gates one of the best middle blocker recruits in the country.
Frager and Felix aren’t the only proven duo who will have to contend against young players. At the outside hitter position, the Bruins return their 2015 first and second leading attackers in senior Jordan Anderson and junior Reily Buechler, but sophomore Kyra Rogers and freshman Savvy Simo have also found themselves in the mix on the outside.
Rogers played middle in high school, but started hitting at the pins last year on the right side. This year, she’ll get the chance to showcase her offensive ability on the left side. Simo, however, was brought in primarily as a defensive player, but her explosiveness has helped her score in practice, Sealy said.
The opposite position is less deep, as Sealy anticipates he’ll be running a 5-1 offense, meaning he only needs one hitter on the right side.
Redshirt senior Haley Lawless played more opposite than anyone else last season, but freshman Torrey Van Winden got an early start with UCLA. The opposite left high school early to come practice with the Bruins during spring quarter.
“Torrey has proven and shown that she’s a big right side hitter-blocker, that for all intents and purposes is going to be playing that spot,” Sealy said.
All of the preseason polls have UCLA fighting with Washington and Stanford for the Pac-12 championship, with the prepvolleyball.com poll having them as No. 6 in the country.
UCLA kicks of its season this weekend with three games at the LMU invitational versus Niagara, Illinois State and Loyola Marymount.