Coming off a three-game losing streak, including a 3-0 loss to Long Beach State on Wednesday night at home, the No. 9 UCLA men’s volleyball team desperately needs a win.
Despite struggling on the road this season, UCLA hopes to defeat No. 12 UC San Diego Saturday at the Recreation, IntraMural, Athletic Complex (RIMAC) in San Diego. The team has been able to pick up a victory away from Westwood in only one of its last seven tries.
The two squads have already met once this season on Jan. 23, with UCLA coming out on top 3-0 when UCSD visited Pauley Pavilion. However, there was a very different lineup in the game for the Bruins. In the past month, the roster has been shuffled with new players in the search of a dominant group on the court.
“We have to break out soon,” coach Al Scates said. “We keep talking about getting to full strength. We’ve got three starters out now and we’re playing four freshmen.”
Stepping it up for the team are opposite Jack Polales, who was the only Bruin in double-digit kills against Long Beach with 19, quick hitters Thomas Amberg and Nick Vogel, libero Jamey Ker and setter Alex Scattareggia. All five newcomers have seen significant playing time on a team that has many veterans.
The Bruins are still without junior outside hitter Garrett Muagututia, who is recovering from a rolled ankle he suffered two weeks ago. According to Scates, Muagututia is having his ankle worked on twice a day. Muagututia was not in uniform for the match against Long Beach and it is still uncertain when he will return to the court. The loss against the 49ers saw the UCLA offense sputtering, hitting only .097 in the first game.
Away from Pauley Pavilion, the offense has been much the same as it was Wednesday.
“Something with our offense tends to stumble,” Polales said. “Pretty much, our hitting has been weak on the road. Everything else has been solid.”
In order to get back in the win column, the Bruins will also need to focus on getting in their serves. Against Long Beach, UCLA had only two aces compared to 16 errors, a stat that cannot be repeated against the Tritons.
Despite the recent losses, the team will have to come out with a lot of intensity, something the team has been lacking.
“Hopefully it just gets everyone really angry about how we played,” Polales said. “We didn’t play horribly, but we all know we could play a lot better, so hopefully it just gets everybody fired up.”
INJURY UPDATE: Besides Muagututia there are other Bruins out for injuries or illnesses. Sophomore libero Tom Hastings has mononucleosis and it is anticipated he will be out for a month.
Redshirt junior quick hitter Shaun Nichols had surgery on his lower leg muscles and will be out for the rest of the season. However, sophomore quick hitter Weston Dunlap, who has been out the entire season, might return to practice next week.