At this point, the UCLA men’s volleyball team has pushed
its chances of securing a position in the playoffs to the furthest
limits.
Having experienced their worst season ever, the No. 10 Bruins
are half a game behind Long Beach State for eighth place in the
MPSF standings and now look toward matches against Stanford and
Pacific to determine a possible playoff berth.
In order for the Bruins to make the playoffs for the 34th
straight season, UCLA (14-13, 9-11 MPSF) must beat both Stanford
(15-11, 12-8) and Pacific (18-11, 12-8). The matches will be held
at Pauley Pavilion today and Saturday, respectively.
In addition to the two necessary victories, either Long Beach
State must lose to UC Santa Barbara this weekend or UC Irvine must
lose to both Stanford and Pacific for the Bruins to clinch a
playoff berth. Because UCSB (9-19, 4-16) is not in contention for
the postseason, UC Irvine losing both of its matches is more
likely.
The Bruins do not control their own destiny. UCLA can only focus
on its own capabilities to conclude the relatively dismal
season.
“It’s been a downward spiral all year,”
assistant coach Brian Rofer said. “We’re still not
executing our own plays that well, so we’re not too worried
about what the other teams have going on.”
The inconsistencies within the team are evident in the
continuously shifting lineup of the starting players.
Having cleared the bench at Pepperdine last week, head coach Al
Scates similarly anticipates substitutes in positions tonight.
“(This week) we had three long intense practices, and I
think we’re ready to play,” Scates said.
“We’ve played each of them with everybody else on the
team, and I’d substitute anybody if they can
contribute.”
Brennan Prahler and Matt McKinney are both vying for the
position of starting outside. Matt Shubin and Paul Johnson are
similarly competing at middle blocker on the courts.
“It’s been the story of this year, a lot of people
switching in and out of the all of the positions,” middle
blocker Chris Peña said. “No one’s safe. At this
point in the season, we’re just hoping to get someone in to
light it up.”
Having crushed Pacific and Stanford on a road trip up north in
February, UCLA hopes to improve its cohesiveness and see if it can
repeat those performances. However, with Stanford’s Curt
Toppel back on the courts and UCLA middle blocker Scott Morrow out
of the season due to injury, it could be a completely different
match.
“It would be a dream come true for Stanford to push us out
of the playoffs,” Scates said.
“What has needed to happen this season
hasn’t,” Peña said. “Now, it’s either
you have it or you don’t.”