Monday, March 10, 1997
M. VOLLEYBALL:
Senior captain Nihipali breaks career record in killsBy Jennifer
Kollenborn and
Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Contributors
Coming off a big win over third-ranked Stanford, UCLA’s roll
continued as the Bruins crushed the University of the Pacific in a
four-game match Saturday night.
The victory over the Tigers was ever so sweet because senior
captain Paul Nihipali shattered UCLA’s career record for most
kills. Nihipali entered the game only 19 kills shy of breaking 1995
Player of the Year Jeff Nygaard’s record of 1,800. By the end of
the game, his team leading 29 kills gave him a total of 1,809.
"I’m proud of it," Nihipali said. "It means that I’ve taken a
lot of swings at the ball since I’ve been (at UCLA), and it’s
something I can look back on and be proud of."
In the 12-15, 15-10, 15-7, 15-7 victory, the Bruins (12-3
overall, 10-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) walked all over
the Pacific (11-5, 5-5) defense, outhitting the Tigers .428 to
.275.
Sophomore Danny Farmer led the attack for UCLA, hitting an
incredible .579 and blocking six, a team high.
Farmer entered the match in Game 3, when Tom Stillwell was
forced to exit due to tendonitis in his knee.
"Danny is very explosive," UCLA head coach Al Scates said. "He
brings us a lot of offense and a good serve. He’s had a really good
week."
* * *
In a match that was supposed to showcase two Player of the Year
candidates, a defensive struggle broke out.
UCLA outlasted Stanford 8-15, 15-8, 16-14, 15-13 in a mediocre
hitting game for both teams. UCLA hit for a percentage of .218
while Stanford hit only .198.
Paul Nihipali, UCLA’s top player, and Mike Lambert, Stanford’s
1996 Olympic star, hit .080 and .063, respectively, accompanied by
what turned out to be great supporting efforts by their squads.
"The match was going to be decided by someone else than Lambert
or Nihipali," Stanford head coach Nieves said. "Their performances
kind of nullified themselves."
UCLA’s main weapon against the Cardinal (10-3, 7-3) was their
blocking. Freshman Adam Naeve had 10 blocks for UCLA. As a team the
Bruins outblocked Stanford 38-34.
UCLA def. Stanford
8-15, 15-8, 16-14,
15-13 GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Paul Nihipali broke the UCLA record for most kills this
weekend.