The UCLA women’s volleyball team is looking for a little bit of revenge.
Hosting both Arizona schools this weekend in their season finale, the Bruins have a score to settle with Arizona State.
In their Pac-10 opener on Sept. 25, the Sun Devils shocked the Bruins, sweeping them and holding them to a season-low of two total blocks. Since then, the Bruins have gone 11-4 in conference and remain in the hunt for at least a share of the Pac-10 championship.
Two months and 15 matches later, the No. 9 Bruins (21-8, 11-5 Pac-10) are looking to close out their season with wins over No. 19 Arizona (19-8, 8-8) and Arizona State (13-15, 3-13).
“We started out with Arizona not so well and it’s kind of like revenge,” freshman outside hitter Bojana Todorovic said. “We want to get them back.”
Coach Andy Banachowski, however, noted changes in Arizona and Arizona State.
“When we played the Arizonas before, Arizona didn’t have Whitney Dosty playing full time like she is now so they’re much improved,” Banachowski said. “And Arizona State looks like they’ve changed their lineup a little, too, so certainly we want to settle the score with them.”
The Wildcat redshirt junior, Dosty, did not start against the Bruins on Sept. 26 and hit at a mere .050 clip. On the season, Dosty hits .212 with 2.87 kills per set and has emerged as a significant leader for Arizona.
But for the Bruins, this weekend’s matches have more riding on them than just two more etches in the win column.
“I think it’s probably more important than any of the games we’ve played so far because it’s the momentum we’re going to take into the regional tournament,” Todorovic said. “I mean that’s what we’ve been preparing for. The conference is really important, but it’s the NCAA Regionals that we’re really looking forward to, so we really want to have a good first step into the tournament, so these two games are going to give us that.”
After the weekend’s matches, the Bruins will await the NCAA’s announcement of the tournament bracket at 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPNews. The Bruins are currently No. 11 in the RPI, good enough for a No. 3 seed in the tournament.
“I think it’s going to be really good for us to play well (this weekend),” Banachowski said. “We want to be going to into the postseason feeling confident.”
With a pair of wins, the Bruins can share the conference crown if Stanford falls to California and Washington splits against the Oregon schools.
For redshirt senior opposite Kaitlin Sather, this weekend represents a chance for the Bruins to continue growing.
“We just haven’t reached our potential yet,” she said. “This is at the end of the season where a lot of teams are wearing out, we’re still changing our lineup, we’re still trying new things. People are just now starting to come on and turn on and we’re still looking for our court chemistry so by the end of the tournament, we can be a spectacular team.”
Seniors to be honored
Sather and fellow senior Emily Clements will play their final regular season matches this weekend. Before Saturday’s match, the team will honor both Sather and Clements.
“We always make it a point to try and start the seniors, so I’ll have to come up with a lineup so both Kaitlin and Emily, who play the same position on the court (can play),” Banachowski said. “I don’t think I can put them both on the court at the same time, but we’ll figure something out. We’ll get them out there.”
Sather is second on the team this season in both kills and digs per set, with 2.80 and 3.06, respectively, appearing in 28 of UCLA’s 29 matches this season.
Clements has only appeared in seven matches for the Bruins this season and averages 1.95 kills per set in her UCLA career.
Gil tweaks ankle
Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Gil twisted her right ankle at Tuesday’s practice after accidentally stepping on freshman setter Lauren Cook’s foot.
Gil stayed for the film session after practice but left on crutches. Banachowski said he is unsure of the extent of Gil’s injury but hopeful that she will play this weekend against the Arizona schools.