Volleyball captures 15th title
By Eric Branch
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –After a brief but well-documented absence,
the NCAA volleyball championship trophy returned to California
Saturday night in the Springfield Civic Center as the top-ranked
UCLA Bruins hammered No. 3 Penn State 15-3, 15-8, 15-10 in the NCAA
final to secure their 15th national title.
The victory came one year after Penn State upset UCLA in the
final to become the first team outside California to win a
championship in 25 years of NCAA play. While last year’s win was
thought to be beneficial to the sport of volleyball, Saturday night
the Bruins re-established the old order.
"We let it get away last year but now we’ve got it back," UCLA
opposite Paul Nihipali said. "I hope it doesn’t leave (California)
for another 25 years."
Senior swing hitter Kevin Wong and senior quick hitter Jeff
Nygaard paced the Bruin offense with 15 kills each. Senior quick
hitter John Speraw finished an impressive tournament with 11 kills
and a match-high eight blocks. Nittany Lion sophomore quick hitter
Ivan Contreras led all hitters with 20 kills.