The prospect of dropping three of their last four games is
facing the No. 7 Bruins squarely in the eyes.
After losses to Stanford and USC bracketed a win over
California, the UCLA women’s volleyball team will travel to
Malibu to face No. 4 Pepperdine. The final regular season match of
the year, this non-conference contest is the Bruin’s last
chance to impress ““Â or disappoint ““ NCAA seeding
committees.
The Waves (24-2, 14-0 WCC) are led by 6-foot-4-inch senior
outside hitter Katie Wilkins. The two-time All-American and WCC
Player of the Year, Wilkins is averaging 5.39 kills per game on
.308 hitting. Another senior, middle blocker Lyndsey Hache, is
second on the team with 2.89 kpg (.291).
The Bruins finished their Pac-10 season with a solid 12-6 (21-7
overall) record in conference play, tied for third place with Cal.
But that wasn’t the finish the Bruins were looking for.
Instead, Stanford ended their season strong to finish behind
unbeaten USC at 14-4, good enough for second place.
Still, no matter how UCLA wraps up their season, coach Andy
Banachowski has already said that he feels his team has done enough
to deserve a host bid for the NCAA regional action.
But given the NCAA’s proclivity toward packing the west
region with quality teams, the Bruins will likely need one more
impressive win to cement their bid.
NCAA tournament selections will be released Sunday, broadcast
live on ESPNEWS.