The UCLA women’s volleyball team finds itself in unfamiliar territory this weekend, and that has nothing to do with its trip to Oregon.
Four games into their conference slate and staring at an unprecedented zero in the conference win column this late into the calendar, the Bruins find themselves in the Pac-12 cellar and in desperate need of a win – or two – this weekend if they hope to hang with the ultra-competitive Pac-12.
No. 23 UCLA (9-5, 0-4 Pac-12) heads north to take on Oregon’s two resident Pac-12 schools, facing off against No. 22 Oregon (9-5, 2-2) today, before traveling 50 miles up Interstate Highway 5 to Corvallis to take on Oregon State (9-6, 0-4) the following day.
After faltering in the first fifth of the conference schedule, the prospect of playing two games in two days presents some challenges for a UCLA team that has been close, but not quite, to its first Pac-12 victory several times this season.
“It’s a challenge for sure because every team in the Pac-12 is good this year; there are no easy nights,” said redshirt freshman outside hitter Haley Lawless. “We know we have to go out there and play our best at Oregon, and the tough thing is after that win or loss in Oregon, we have to be able to bounce back and say, ‘So what? Now what?’ … We need to move on and get ready for the next night.”
On paper, UCLA and Oregon appear nearly identical as they share the same record and are separated in ranking – No. 23 and No. 22 – and attack percentage – .258 and .257 – by the closest of margins. Meanwhile the Bruins find their fellow conference bottom feeder in the Beavers, who have also yet to claim a conference victory.
With what looks to be a pair of close conference tilts at hand, UCLA, who has struggled with maintaining in-game focus, has little room for error if it hopes to avoid yet another disappointing loss.
“(Coach Sealy) talks about longer periods of focus. For (USC) we were totally on it (in the first three sets),” said sophomore outside hitter Maddy Klineman. “(But) for the fourth game we just lost focus. If we can stay focused for five sets, we are going to win.”
While the prospect of a quick turnaround may seem troublesome for a team that has struggled in the way the Bruins have, the team believes this weekend may prove to be just what it needs. Klineman noted that the rapid pace of the team’s itinerary limits the number of distractions the team will face, while Sealy spoke of his preference for the back-to-back schedule, citing the shorter total time on the road as a benefit.
Despite the recent struggles, UCLA doesn’t appear to be in panic mode, although it has stressed playing with a sense of urgency. Travel time and opponents aside, Sealy and the team maintain that if the Bruins can play up to their potential – and maintain it – the wins will come.
“We have to set a standard of play and meet that standard every single time we step on the floor,” Sealy said. “We know exactly what we need to do. A lot of the ‘SC match, a lot of the Cal match and Colorado for sure … we had those matches in hand, we just have to do what we need to do to continue that (level of play).”