Coach Michael Sealy has even admitted it – the Bruins lack size on the pins.
UCLA women’s volleyball has gotten by with small hitters hitting crafty shots against bigger blockers, but if last weekend’s pair of wins is any indication, the Bruins may have finally found the big pin hitter they’ve been lacking.
At 6-foot-3-inches, freshman opposite Torrey Van Winden has settled into a starting role after missing much of the preseason because of an injury.
“It was going to take some time to get in sync, not only for her, but for the setters and how they decide to use her with the balls she hits,” Sealy said.
Van Winden looked in sync last week, when she led the No. 20 Bruins (14-4, 5-3 Pac-12) in kills against both No. 16 Oregon and unranked Oregon State, hitting .380 and taking more swings than any other Bruin attacker – a performance that earned her Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.
[Related: Women’s volleyball defeats Oregon State in commanding sweep]
Sealy said he has been working with the setters to ensure that the opposite is an option on every play, no matter where the pass goes.
Both setters have been making efforts to set Van Winden when she has opportunities to come up with a kill, often putting long distance on back sets.
“I think (Van Winden’s) been doing great on putting balls away in those situations,” senior libero Taylor Formico said. “Even with (blockers) committing on her, she’s been doing great – it’s fun to see.”
Van Winden has even been able to modify her attack based on her opponent’s defensive strategy. The rookie quickly adjusted to the block taking away her hard-angle shots, and instead began utilizing a deadly down-the-line shot last week.
“(The blockers) were definitely giving me a ton of line and I think that’s based off my previous games of hitting hard angle,” Van Winden said of the Oregon game. “But it was also really nice because there was no libero in the back left. I just felt like I had free range of the line, and just really took advantage of it.”
The freshman’s high volleyball IQ should come as no surprise, considering her family’s deep ties to NCAA volleyball.
Van Winden’s mother was an All-American outside hitter at Cal Poly, and her older sister Adlee currently plays for the volleyball team there. Her cousin, Micah Ma’a, played every set for the UCLA men’s volleyball team in 2016. As a freshman, he demolished the school record of 39 service aces with 58 of his own.
The women’s team will face one of its first big tests as it hosts No. 12 Stanford on Friday, aiming to keep Van Winden on her upward trajectory.
“She’s gotten better and better ever since she got into that starting lineup. The last few matches have been really, really good,” Sealy said. “She’s really an offensive threat.”