Senior Dennis Gonzalez can remember it as if it was just
yesterday. Standing on the sidelines last May, he watched
helplessly as Pepperdine celebrated the national championship on
his own home court. Knowing that he only needs four more victories
to reclaim that title, Gonzalez would love nothing more to beat
Pepperdine (17-7) tonight and move on to the MPSF title match to
gain some revenge for last year’s loss. “It is the
perfect situation for us,” Gonzalez said. “We know that
if we win, we control our own destiny, and that is all you can ask
for.” “And to do (that) against Pepperdine would be
even better.” The rest of the No. 7-seeded Bruins (22-12)
have the same idea in mind as they take on the Waves tonight in the
MPSF semifinals at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center. No.
2-seeded Pepperdine took both of the regular-season matches from
the Bruins this season and swept the Bruins at home. But that was
when the Bruins were struggling, and UCLA feels it is playing
on an entirely different level right now. “We had a lot of
the same guys we have now, but we have changed positions, and
it’s just a whole new team,” outside hitter Damien
Scott said. “We have a better rhythm now, and we feel we
can’t be beat.” Instrumental to the Bruins’
success against the Waves will be their ability to spread sets to
all their main hitters. In their upset victory against
Hawai’i last Saturday, four Bruins were in double digits in
kills, and the team as a whole converted points on more than 50
percent of Gonzalez’s sets. “That has always been our
traditional setup,” coach Al Scates said. “We want to
have multiple weapons so the other team never knows what to
expect.” “As long as Dennis is setting the balls he is,
and we keep getting good at passing, we’ll be
successful.” Standing in the Bruins’ way are the
Waves’ All-MPSF selections Andy Hein and John Parfitt. Hein
leads the nation with a .510 hitting percentage, while Parfitt is
averaging over four kills per game. Both players are over 6 feet 4
inches and provide an intimidating presence for the Bruins at the
net. “We know that they are tall and long at their hitting
positions,” quick hitter Nick Scheftic said. “But we
have watched film of them, and we know what to expect.” UCLA
has, after all, won 10 straight matches, dating back to a 3-1 loss
against the Waves in Malibu. Since that time, the Bruins have
handily defeated Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, and
Hawai’i, teams that defeated them easily earlier in the
season. They are hoping to keep that streak alive against the Waves
tonight. “We are definitely not a normal No. 7 seed,”
Scates said. “We are peaking at just the right time, and the
guys are in better condition than (ever).” “There is a
reason why we are beating these teams the second and third time
around.” Considered the underdogs in tonight’s matchup,
the Bruins will certainly be tested to this reasoning.
QUICK HITS: UCLA, which is playing in the
earlier 5 p.m. match, was allotted 500 tickets for fans wanting to
buy a full tournament package for the MPSF Tournament. Individual
tickets to tonight’s match and Saturday’s championship
can be purchased at the UC Irvine box office. The second semifinal
features No. 1-seeded UC Irvine v. No. 4 Long Beach State at 7:30
p.m.