Friday, January 31, 1997
M. VOLLEYBALL:
UCLA has improved since last meeting with UCSBBy Jennifer
Kollenborn
Daily Bruin Contributor
Spike it. Block it. Win it.
After sweeping Cal State Northridge 3-0 Wednesday night at
Pauley Pavilion, the No. 1 ranked Bruins confidently await their
next challenger.
"We’re playing much better," freshman Brandon Taliaferro
said.
UCLA takes on UC Santa Barbara in its second crucial Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation Division match tonight at 7 p.m. in the
Wooden Center.
Last season, the Bruins lost two of three contests to UCSB but
they defeated the Gauchos in a tight 3-2 contest in the MPSF
championship match at Hawaii. The win gave UCLA an automatic bid
into the NCAA Tournament, where the Bruins seized their 16th
title.
This season, UCLA lost to the Gauchos in an exhibition
tournament at Santa Barbara 16-17, 11-15 earlier this month.
However, the Bruins’ progress may give them an edge over UCSB.
"We’ve improved since we last played Santa Barbara," assistant
coach Brian Rofer said. "(Friday) we are going to stress our
digging."
The Gauchos (1-2, 1-1) got off to a slow start by losing two of
their first three matches. Yet, the Bruins are not taking this
match lightly.
"I thought (Santa Barbara) was the best team last year in the
playoffs," UCLA head coach Al Scates said. "I thought we were lucky
to beat them. They’re on fire."
The two dominant forces for the Gauchos are seniors Donny Harris
and Robert Treahy. "(Harris and Treahy) are the two guys we have to
stop, especially Harris," Scates said.