Forty-three hitting errors isn’t going to beat the worst
team in the Pac-10, let alone a team ranked in the top 10. The
Bruins couldn’t find any offensive consistency in a painful
loss at home to the Cardinal. Coach Andy Banachowski could only
state the obvious after the match.
“We had some hitters out there that weren’t very
effective,” he said.
UCLA hit .131 as a team, and normally reliable junior outside
hitters Brittany Ringel and Heather Cullen were almost entirely
ineffective, albeit not without good reason.
A screw in Cullen’s dodgy right knee, inserted after she
had ACL surgery in high school, has come loose, causing
inflammation and a great deal of discomfort. She received two
cortisone injections earlier in the day in order to deal with the
pain.
Her restricted movement was evident Thursday, as Cullen had
virtually no spring in her jump and her attacks were generally
weaker than normal.
“You could just see it when she jumped. She’s in a
lot of pain, you can tell,” freshman Becky Green said.
“It shows how much fire she has in her to come out and
play.”
Cullen still managed double-figure kills, with 10, but also had
eight errors and hit only .051.
“Her knee locked up earlier today,” Banachowski
said. “Heather clearly wasn’t herself out there
tonight.”
Cullen’s comrade in arms, junior Brittany Ringel, was also
overwhelmed after the match.
Nearly in tears, Ringel had trouble restraining her emotions
after she had only one kill on -.444 hitting after the first game.
She sat on the bench for the remainder of the match, until she
finally saw action again during garbage time in the fourth
game.
Ringel, who has been slowed by ankle injuries since the
beginning of the season, didn’t blame poor health for her
performance.
“I felt fine,” she said. “I just didn’t
make good decisions. I need to make quicker adjustments.”
Green came off the bench to replace Ringel and played
adequately, finishing the night with 11 kills and leading the team
with 39 attempts.
“She stepped up, and she’s been consistently doing
that for us all year,” Ringel said.
Still, despite the personal achievement, Green spoke succinctly
about her accomplishment.
“I’d rather have the win.”