Men’s volleyball gets off to winning start
Noonan, Speraw lead in sweep of No. 7 UCSB
By Lawrence Ma
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
SANTA BARBARA — When the UCLA men’s volleyball team opened the
1994 season with the UC Santa Barbara Collegiate Invitational a
year ago, the Bruins were aiming to begin an undefeated season by
winning the tournament title.
Neither of those things happened for the Bruins, as UCLA was
upset by USC in the preliminary rounds and then lost to Brigham
Young in the tournament consolation game.
This year, the top-ranked Bruins once again opened the season
with the UCSB Invitational, hoping to win the title and start 1995
with a win.
Well, they didn’t get the title, but they’re off to a winning
start. After losing to No. 8 BYU in the preliminary rounds, the
Bruins met tournament host No. 7 UCSB in the consolation game,
where UCLA prevailed, 15-13, 15-8, 15-13. BYU went on to defeat No.
2 Stanford, 3-1, in the championship match.
As for UCLA, the Bruins (1-0 overall) were probably glad that it
didn’t take them long to beat the Gauchos (1-2), considering that
they have played virtually non-stop since Friday morning, when the
team split itself in two to play through two preliminary
rounds.
"I feel like hell," UCLA middle blocker John Speraw said after
the UCSB match.
Several Bruins felt a little beat up as they entered Saturday
night’s contest. Speraw, for one, has tendonitis in both knees.
Starting setter Stein Metzger aggravated a pulled stomach muscle
with the heavy dose of play and was questionable for the start as
close as 30 minutes to first serve.
"This actually counts on our record," Metzger said. "One of our
goals this season is to go undefeated. And so, I wasn’t going to
sit out this game."
As the match started it seemed that fatigue may have finally
caught up to UCLA. Behind the fiery play of outside hitter Amaury
Velasco, the Gauchos jumped all over the Bruins, taking an 11-4
lead.
But after UCLA opposite Matt Noonan (19 kills) leaped out of the
back row for a put-away and sideout, the Bruin fortune began to
turn. Outside hitter Kevin Wong served up nine straight jumpers of
both fast and floating varieties to what resulted in nine straight
points, giving UCLA a 13-11 lead. Game one belonged to the Bruins
from that point on.
"We got into a bad rotation and Kevin was serving pretty tough,"
UCSB coach Ken Preston said. "That got us in trouble."
The Gauchos too were serving very tough, but the Bruin passing
game held up reasonably well against the vast variety of serves
UCSB had in its arsenal.
"I’m happy with our passing," UCLA coach Al Scates said. "(Erik)
Sullivan and Wong worked well together out there. We won’t see
serving in such a variety again, I don’t think."
The second frame was tight in the early going as UCSB continued
the tough serving. Speraw, who ended the match with a career-high
11 blocks, got in on three straight blocks to give UCLA a 4-2 lead.
After a Sullivan stuff block on UCSB’s Morgan Chapman at 6-5, the
Bruins ran off seven more points before the Gauchos were able to
respond. At 14-8, Metzger and Speraw stuffed Chapman again for a
2-0 Bruin lead.
"Tonight (my knees) felt pretty good," Speraw said. "Because I
wasn’t in pain I was able to get up and reach over the net and just
put some balls down. I felt like I had a great game blocking. I had
a lot of fun out there."
The Bruins started well in the third frame, taking a 7-3 lead.
The Gauchos would, however, come back and tie it up at 8-8. The two
teams traded points until UCSB outside hitter Donnie Harris
(match-high 24 kills) blinked and hit a ball wide to give UCLA a
12-11 lead. A couple of Jeff Nygaard blocks made it 14-11.
UCSB got as close as 14-13, but on the Bruins’ sixth match
point, Noonan summoned up whatever energy that remained in him in
jamming a Gaucho at the net and then putting the ball away for
UCLA’s all-important first win of the year.