The freshman had hit only one serve in over four sets. It was crunch time – the final set of Saturday’s must-win matchup against Long Beach State– and it was up to middle blocker Mitch Stahl to get his team back on track.
“I was struggling. I went back to the line and (senior outside hitter) Gonzalo (Quiroga) said to me, ‘You know, Mitch, just put a good serve in and just cut the ball to the libero,’” Stahl said. “I did, we got a dig and won the point. I got some confidence from there and (we were) able to kind of bounce back.”
The Bruins went on to pull out a tightly contested five-set win over the then-No. 6 49ers. The next chance for UCLA to continue its late-season run comes Thursday against California Baptist at home, another crucial game as the season winds down.
All season long the Bruins have relied on their freshmen to step up and contribute, and Stahl has been no exception, playing a total of three positions this season – opposite, outside hitter and middle blocker.
The freshman struggled throughout the season with each new transition, but now back in his familiar role of middle blocker, Stahl feels he is finally coming into his own.
“It’s been a challenge really focusing on one position and improving and gradually increasing in all three,” Stahl said. “I’ve been in the middle recently and I’ve kind of gotten back to my old ways. I feel more comfortable and I’m just learning to read the game better.”
Despite the obstacles he faced throughout his first season, Stahl has worked toward becoming a contributing member of the team, culminating in his leading UCLA through the fifth set on Saturday to save the team’s postseason chances.
“Mitch has been a really hard worker,” said senior middle blocker Spencer Rowe. “He’s had to switch positions a lot, which has been obviously a challenge for everyone but it’s kind of the way this season has been – the way we’ve had to slide everyone around. I’m just happy that he’s kept his head up.”
As a freshman, Stahl brings more to the team than just height – he stands at 6-foot-8 – and offensive production. His dedication to improving his game and working his way into the lineup has made lasting impressions on his teammates.
“He’s really athletic, but most importantly his work ethic is really good,” said sophomore setter Steve O’Dell. “He has a great head on his shoulders and the best thing about him is he keeps improving. That’s something that we’ve needed going through a lot of adversity this year.”
Despite this adversity, the Bruins have managed to survive their struggles and are in a position to advance to the postseason. A win on Thursday would likely secure UCLA’s bid to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.
“We’ve gotta play like it’s our last game of the year because you never know at this point,” Stahl said. “We’re in a tough battle for last place in MPSF to get into the tournament so we’ve just got to come out and play hard.”