Just last weekend, the No. 8 UCLA sand volleyball team (5-1) suffered a 5-0 defeat against then-No. 5 Long Beach State (8-2), adding the first point to the right side of their record.
Heading into the Stanford Invitational tournament this weekend, the Bruins hope to develop their skills as a young team while keeping that number to the right side of their record at a minimum. Even though four of the five pairs that played last weekend fell in straight sets, UCLA’s freshman-heavy team treats every match as a learning experience.
“That was our first loss of the season, but it was really motivating, actually,” said freshman Anastasia Kunz. “It shows you how much you don’t like to lose, and it brings a good work ethic to the team. It’s a nice push in the right direction, with a little bit more pressure.”
Last week’s match against Long Beach was the fourth match the team played in eight days, with very little rest between matches. Now, after a week-long stint at home and slightly shorter practices to provide extra time for rest, the team is back to business, with yet another fully packed weekend schedule.
UCLA faces a long weekend, leaving at 5 a.m. for the almost-six hour drive to Stanford. Upon arriving, the Bruins will start competing in their first match against Cal at 2 p.m., and will play through the weekend, finishing with the pairs tournament on Sunday.
While UCLA hasn’t seen any playtime against Cal this season, it will be greeted with familiar faces across the net on Saturday. UCLA swept its first Saturday matchup, Stanford, 5-0 last year at Stanford, and defeated its second Saturday matchup, St. Mary’s 4-1 earlier this season.
“Looking at the lineup at Stanford, I feel like we have a really good shot,” said freshman Ivey Schmitt. “We are a good matchup for the other teams that are going, so I’m not too concerned, but I’m definitely ready to go out and not lose again. “
Moving on to Sunday, the Bruins will enter the Stanford Invitational Pairs Tournament, where the anticipation of facing unknown opponents is just as great as facing one’s own teammates.
“That would be a great situation,” said coach Stein Metzger. “We’d really love that, and we’d use it as an opportunity to just get better. We’re always learning.”