In the midst of losing a third straight match last Wednesday
against Ohio State, UCLA coach Al Scates looked for a spark. And
that unlikely spark came in the form of libero Eric Chaghouri.
Chaghouri, a seldom-used sophomore redshirt, replaced All-American
Tony Ker and gave the No. 6 Bruins an immediate boost off the
bench. “He was great for us,” Scates said. “As
soon he came in, he started passing the ball closer to the net and
kept the offense moving quickly.” Although the Bruins
eventually lost the match to the Buckeyes, Chaghouri’s
performance certainly left an impression on coach Scates, and he
started in the following two matches, which were both victories,
against Penn State, and Hawai’i. In those matches, Chaghouri
combined for 76 receptions and helped the Bruin offense record its
highest scoring outputs of the year. “I’ve been around
the program for a while, and I know how it’s done,”
Chaghouri said. “When the coach calls your number, you just
have to come in and step up.” Chaghouri, who started five
matches last season, is now expected to be the starter for this
weekend’s match against Bruin rival No. 2 BYU, and he knows
that the pressure for the game is high. “This week is a big
one for us,” Chagouri said. “I know Tony (Ker) is going
to push me in my practice, just like I do him, and I just have to
be prepared.” With Chaghouri’s promotion, coach Scates
said he was going to consider giving Ker repetitions at the Bruins
H-2 position, a spot currently occupied by senior Paul George.
KLOSTERMAN SHINES: Bruin opposite hitter Steve
Klosterman shined during his limited playing time during the
Bruins’ trip to Hawaii. The junior had previously been held
out of practice and games due to a shoulder injury but played in
the Bruins’ final match on Friday against Hawai’i.
During his playing time, Klosterman had six kills in ten swings as
the Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Rainbow Warriors.
Unfortunately, he had to come out after those first two games as
Bruin trainer Dale Rudd did not want to risk further injury.
“I felt really good out there the first two games,”
Klosterman said. “It sucked that I had to come out, but the
shoulder is feeling better and better every day.” Klosterman
played the H-1 position, primarily a passing position, on Friday,
but coach Scates plans on using the junior as the opposition hitter
in the future, where he would get more offensive opportunities.
“We all know what kind of player Steve can be,” Scates
said of Klosterman, “and as soon as he gets healthy, I want
him to get as many as many chances as possible.”. Klosterman
will be limited to 45-50 swings this week in practice, and it will
be a game-time decision whether or not he will be able to
participate in either or both of this weekend’s matches.
O’MALLEY STRUGGLES: Freshman outside
hitter Sean O’Malley has had his share of challenges this
season, and this past weekend in Hawai’i was no different.
O’Malley was replaced in the starting lineup by Klosterman
prior to the Penn State match and struggled with his blocking and
hitting against Ohio State on Wednesday. “Sean is still
learning to play at this level of competition,” Scates said.
“I have very high expectations for him, and there is no way
he should be at the level he is at right now.” So far this
season, O’Malley is hitting .244 and averaging .40 blocks per
game.
QUICK HITS: Paul George’s two sisters
were in attendance for the Bruins’ match at Hawai’i on
Friday. They had to eventually be removed from their seats,
however, because the Hawai’i fans were not happy with their
rowdiness in the Rainbow Warriors’ seating section. “I
wasn’t paying too much attention, but all I could see that
they had to be moved to the UCLA fans section midway through the
match,” Scates said. “As you know,” he added,
“they don’t like us very much over there.”.