After arriving in New York to compete in the Concordia
Challenge, UCLA men’s volleyball head coach Al Scates, who
led the Bruins to 18 national championships, was presented with a
thank-you gift.
The tournament’s hosts awarded Scates a crystal desk set
in appreciation of his years of support and friendship, and in
reverence of his reputation as a prominent figure in NCAA
volleyball.
Graciously accepting the gift, the legendary coach then sent his
Bruin men onto the court to write his thank-you note.
The Bruins won the two-day Concordia Challenge, defeating the
Concordia Clippers (100-79) Friday night, Lewis (100-97) and
Rutgers (100-94) back to back on Saturday.
The preseason tournament experimented with a new rally scoring
method, consisting of four 25-point quarters, for a total of 100
points per match.
Riding the Friday victory, the Bruins began competing at 10 a.m.
Saturday against Lewis. Sophomore Jonathan Acosta and senior Rich
Nelson led the team to victory.
Lewis showed strong defense against UCLA, but sophomore outside
hitter Allan Vince had 17 kills along with numerous digs and blocks
to seal the Bruins’ second win.
“Vince is continuing to get better at his new position. He
had been playing middle blocker, but he is turning out to be
talented as a hitter,” Scates said.
Following that victory, the Bruins used their second-team lineup
to defeat Rutgers. Junior J.T. Wenger had 13 kills, with sophomore
Kris Kraushaar adding 12.
The Concordia Challenge attracted a record number of fans,
largely because UCLA is expected to contend for a national
championship this year.
Scates is confident in the direction the Bruins are headed.
“This is a good sign for the season. I think our biggest
problem is to replace the position Matt Komer had last year, and
both (junior Jesse) Debban and Kraushaar are playing strong,”
Scates said. “We outhit everybody we’ve played.
That’s why we beat everybody.”
Scates voiced his eagerness to begin Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation play after watching his team breeze through the
preseason tournament.
“I’d like to start the season, instead of going to
practice for the next few weeks and then taking time off before
January,” Scates said.
“We played very well this weekend ““ the best
we’ve ever played.”
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UCLA has confirmed that two top prep players have signed
National Letters of Intent.
Steve Klosterman, a 6-foot-7 outside hitter from Marina High in
Huntington Beach, is considered to be the top recruit in the
nation.
Julio Acevedo, a 6-foot-2 setter from Puerto Rico, is thought to
be the top setter recruit.
“He’s the best high school setter in the U.S. and
Puerto Rico,” Scates said. “In fact, I have never seen
a better high school setter play.”