Friday, November 1, 1996
W. VOLLEYBALL:
Plagued by injuries, UCLA has lost five of seven matchesBy John
Kelly
Daily Bruin Contributor
"Don’t cry for me Argentina … The truth is I never left you
… All through my wild days … my mad existence … you kept your
promise … Don’t keep your distance."
These lyrics, from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "Evita," can apply to
the current plight of the UCLA women’s volleyball team. Battered,
bruised and apparently on their way down after an exhibition loss
to Nittaidai University, the No. 18 Bruins (13-8, 5-5 in the
Pac-10) are in the middle of a wild run they will try to snap this
weekend.
UCLA will come back home to their fans and attempt to avenge
themselves as they take on Arizona and Arizona State this weekend
at Pauley Pavilion.
Arizona State (8-9, 3-8 in the Pac-10) challenged the Bruins in
Tempe earlier in October. The match came down to an 8-8 tie in the
fifth game until UCLA finally pulled out the victory with a
five-point run. Elizabeth Bachman and Tanisha Larkin played crucial
roles in stopping the Sun Devils.
"The last time we ended up playing them it was a pretty sloppy
match," UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski said. "I don’t think
either team played very well."
Since then, the several injured Bruins have returned to the
team. Among them were Kara Milling and Melissa Wendt, a pair of
hitters who are likely to have an impact against Arizona State.
"I think we match up against them well," Banachowski said. "We
need to play real disciplined against them with our defense and be
able to dig some balls."
The Bruins are likely to face a tougher test of resilience
against the Wildcats, however. The Arizona squad ( 12-7, 3-6
Pac-10) upset the Bruins in a five-game match in Tucson earlier in
the season.
"(The Wildcats) have some big, strong hitters. We need to score
some points in transition," Banachowski said.
The Bruins began their dramatic skid after that game, losing
five of seven contests. Despite being hammered, UCLA remains in the
USA Today/AVCA coaches poll. However, they have the worst record of
any team in the group.
The Bruins hope to change that trend in Pauley at noon
Sunday.
AARON TOUT
Tanisha Larkin will go up against the Arizona schools this
weekend at Pauley Pavillion.