Undefeated. It’s a word that brings a smile to the face of
UCLA coach Kathy Olivier, as her Bruins represent the lone team in
the Pac-10 to have not yet suffered a conference loss. That
distinction will be put to the test this weekend as the No. 22
Bruins hit the road to take on the Washington schools. UCLA (9-3,
3-0 Pac-10) will play Washington State in Pullman on Friday and
follow that game two days later with a battle against Washington in
Seattle. Despite playing six games in the last 12 days, Olivier
feels the Bruins will not show signs of fatigue, particularly
because of the success they had during a rigorous non-conference
schedule. “I don’t think it’s an issue,
we’re in really good shape,” Olivier said. “The
travel sometimes wears on you, but we had some crazy trips. Pullman
is a tough trip, but it will be cake for this team.” UCLA
will first face a lowly Cougar (4-9, 0-2) team that is tied for
last in the Pac-10. However, the Bruins will need to be on their
game on the tail end of the road trip against Washington. The
Huskies (6-8, 2-2) will be the more formidable foe, having already
been battle-tested during their non-conference schedule. Washington
has already taken to the court with the likes of nationally ranked
opponents Minnesota, Notre Dame and Baylor. Though no Husky
currently averages double digits in scoring, the Bruins will have a
tough match-up with the Washington junior guard duo of Kristen
O’Neill, who averages 9.3 points a game, and Kayla Burt, who
chips in 9.1 points per contest.
BLUE BACK ON FEET: A day after a nasty collision in the final
seconds of UCLA’s victory over Oregon, Nikki Blue talked with
her trainer and decided she did not need to receive an x-ray. Blue,
who sustained whiplash in her neck from the incident, will have her
condition re-evaluated after the Washington road trip. The junior
guard said she still has full rotation in her neck, but that she
was scared initially after taking the hit. “I scared
myself,” Blue said. “It hurt, that was a very hard hit.
I woke up a little sore the next day, and I’m a little sore
right now, I have a knot the size of a marble on the back of my
head, but I’ll be fine for the game.”
QUINN EARNS HONOR: Guard Noelle Quinn earned her third Pac-10
Player of the Week award this year, the fifth of her career,
following UCLA’s two victories over Oregon and Oregon State.
Quinn, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2004, ranks in the
top-five in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals in the Pac-10
this year. The sophomore has recorded a streak of six consecutive
20-point games and has already notched four double-doubles, while
logging in a conference high of more than 35 minutes played per
contest. “Freshman year was getting my feet wet, but
I’m in attack mode now,” Quinn said. “It has a
lot to do with maturity. A year ago I would’ve stopped
shooting when I had a bad game. Now I tell myself keep shooting,
it’ll fall.”