Thursday, 4/24/97 The Dynamic Duo Freshmen Naeve, Taliaferro
continue legacy of greats at UCLA
By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor There is
something about UCLA that attracts the best in volleyball. Players
like Karch Kiraly, Sinjin Smith, Jeff Nygaard and Stein Metzger
have all worn blue and gold. The list continues to 1997. Playing
without the services of All-American setter Stein Metzger and 1996
starting quick hitter James Turner, the 1997 UCLA men’s volleyball
team unveiled the talent of two freshmen, Adam Naeve and Brandon
Taliaferro. From the get-go, the freshmen duo jumped in to fill the
two slots in the Bruins starting lineup, and the results have been
good. The Bruins (22-3) finished the season as the top-ranked team
in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). It may appear
questionable to some that two freshmen can add even more success to
the two-time defending champions, but when the ball is served and
the game has started, their freshmen masks fall to the floor, and
all that is left standing are two fierce competitors with a common
goal of winning their first NCAA crown. Adam Naeve and Brandon
Taliaferro chose UCLA because they thought it was the school that
would give them the best chance at NCAA championships. The two
proceeded to beat out all other players for their well-earned spots
in the starting lineup. Although UCLA did not offer a full ride to
Taliaferro, the freshman setter came to UCLA nonetheless. "I
thought that I would get more out of playing at UCLA than any other
school. Blue looks better on me," Taliaferro said. "Other schools
told me that I was going to start and be the star, but at UCLA,
it’s just, ‘we’ll give you a fair shot,’ so I came in here knowing
that I was going to have to work my butt off to get where I ended
up. "But even then, there is a chance that somebody else will be
knocking on your door ready to take your spot – so, you’re always
working hard," Taliaferro said. Like Taliaferro, Naeve knew that
head coach Al Scates always runs grueling practices and that he
would have to come in, work hard and prove that he could play with
the best. "I told myself that I am going to play my hardest, and if
I start, I’ll be satisfied with that," Naeve said. "I thought this
was the team that would give me some championships. When I came in,
I had respect for the guys. I didn’t come in too cocky, thinking I
was the greatest. I just came in trying my best, so I could play
with players like Paul, Tom and Freddy; they make you a much better
player." The talented duo may hold the key to UCLA’s success. As
rookies, they both earned 1997 third team All-MPSF honors. Their
ability even surprises Scates who has coached the best in the
sport. Scates boasted of their potential coming right out of high
school. "They probably have more experience than any high school
players I have ever seen in my program," Scates said. "I don’t
remember the last time I started two true freshmen in the same
year. Robins and Nihipali started as freshmen, but not in the same
year." But this is where the similarities end. Though they have
much in common, the two freshmen are like night and day on the
court: Naeve, focused and quiet, and Taliaferro, emotional and
expressive. Standing at 6-foot 10-inches, Naeve towers over many
other players, gaining a bird’s eye view of the court. His height
has intimidated other teams while his unpredictable performance
leaves the opponent defenseless. Naeve has emerged as one of the
league’s best newcomers. At BYU, Naeve tallied up 38 kills, which
was a career best, and it earned him the No. 4 spot in the UCLA
record book for a single match. In addition, in his last eight
matches, he averaged 4.6 kills per game, and has posted 14
double-digit kill matches this season. "I never tell anyone they
are going to start, but Naeve had a lot of confidence in his
ability," Scates said. "And then, when Turner failed out of school,
that was it. Naeve came in and took over from day one. "Naeve
borders on greatness and being average. I want Naeve to come out
ripping his big jump serve. And if it is on, we score a lot of
points behind it. And if it is not, well, nice try. Sometimes Naeve
is a hot hitter. If he gets in a zone, we go to him. " A hot and
cold Naeve makes light of his unpredictable performance. When asked
what causes these on and off days, Naeve smiles and shrugs his
shoulders replying, "Some days you’re on, and some you’re not."
Bursting with fire, the 6-foot 5-inch Taliaferro sets every ball
for the Bruins, but to who is left in the air. The solid
performance of Taliaferro has been the sparkplug to UCLA’s offense.
Before, the Bruins always relied on All-American powerhouse Paul
Nihipali to come in with the winning kill, but now, the Bruins are
more versatile. And who do they have to thank? Their new setter,
Brandon Taliaferro. "Taliaferro gives you the same performance
throughout," Scates said. "Very solid, steady – which is exactly
what I want in a setter." The consistency and steadiness of
Taliaferro’s performance completes UCLA’s starting line up. His
setting has escalated to the level of former Bruin setter, Stein
Metzger, and his aptitude for the sport has broadened the Bruin
offense. "(Taliaferro) has learned it all," Scates said. The last
match of the season he hit .400, and fed everybody. He can go to
everybody. "We are not a very predictable team at this stage.
Before, to beat us, you stopped Paul. That is how you beat us in
January and February. Now you can stop him, and we can still beat
you." Taliaferro’s skills earned him the 1997 MPSF Freshman of the
Year honors on April 17, 1997. His 1,492 set assists this season
(15.8 assists per game), is just short of the pace of UCLA’s
all-time assists leader, Stein Metzger, who tallied 1,589 assists
(17.1apg) in his first year as a starter. However, when asked what
Taliaferro thinks about walking in the footsteps of All-American
Stein Metzger, Taliaferro laughs and says that he just wants to
play his best. "Well, I don’t want to be the next Stein; I want to
be the next Brandon," Taliaferro said. "I want to win like Stein
did. Stein was a great setter and a great competitor. There are
some things that he does a lot better than I do, and hopefully,
there are things that I do a lot better that he does. But, the
bottom line is winning. I haven’t won a championship yet, so
there’s got to be a couple left." The determined duo will enter
tonight’s match with the hope of taking one more victorious step
towards fulfilling their long awaited dream – their first NCAA
title. When asked whether they think the season will be a failure
if they do not seize the crown, simultaneously, Naeve and
Taliaferro looked at each other and nodded. "Oh yeah, oh yeah,"
they replied. "A complete failure." GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Adam Naeve (l.) and Brandon Taliaferro, both true freshmen, had a
great impact on the success of this year’s volleyball team.