Toward the end of Pac-12 play, the Bruins had a chance to contend for their first conference championship since 1999.
But winning the conference was never coach Michael Sealy’s primary goal. He only ever saw Pac-12 play as preparation for the postseason.
With conference play finishing last weekend, the NCAA Tournament is finally here.
“We played some great matches; we played some tough matches,” Sealy said. “We’ve seen every kind of match there is, so we have the experience for whatever happens.”
No. 10 seed UCLA women’s volleyball (24-6, 15-5 Pac-12) will face Murray State (23-8, 15-1 Ohio Valley Conference) to open the tournament Friday.
The Racers are riding a 15-game win streak that extends back to Oct.1, with their most recent win netting them the the OVC championship and an automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
Murray State never beat a ranked opponent en route to its conference title and finished the season at No. 96 in the RPI rankings. In the Racers’ two trips to the NCAA Tournament, their record is 0-2.
The Bruins will also have the opportunity to host the second round of the tournament Saturday if they win Friday’s match.
“It’s always a great advantage to be hosting at home,” said redshirt junior setter Ryann Chandler. “You’re in an area you’re comfortable with and you’re around fans that can hopefully help with momentum.”
UCLA will play the winner of San Diego (24-5, 15-3 West Coast Conference) and Baylor (21-11, 9-7 Big 12) if the Bruins advance.
The Toreros put a halt to UCLA’s best start since 2006 in September. Senior middle blocker Jennie Frager said that the team was excited to see San Diego in its bracket.
“The exciting part about (the potential of) getting to face San Diego again is that we have a completely new lineup,” Chandler said. “They haven’t seen what we have now in this part of the season.”
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Brent Hilliard, the associate head coach for the Toreros, coached Chandler, Frager and junior pin hitter Reily Buechler at WAVE Volleyball Club when they were in high school.
“He definitely knows our team well,” Frager said. “It makes it very competitive and it’s a lot of fun.”
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Earlier this week, senior libero Taylor Formico was named Pac-12 Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season. Formico is joined on the All-Pac-12 team by Frager and freshman pin hitter Torrey Van Winden. Buechler and senior pin hitter Jordan Anderson received honorable mentions.
San Diego and Baylor will play in Pauley Pavilion at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and UCLA will take the court at 8 p.m.