He wasn’t even on the traveling squad before Thursday.
He hadn’t started a match in nearly two years.
But when UCLA coach Al Scates held an open audition for the
middle blocker position during Thursday’s practice, it was
junior middle blocker David Russell who commanded the coach’s
attention.
“He was the fastest and quickest out of the three middle
blockers,” Scates said. “He wanted the spot and he
certainly made the most of his opportunity.”
Russell led UCLA on Saturday with 15 kills and a .684 hitting
percentage as the No. 1 Bruins defeated No. 5 UC Santa Barbara
30-28, 30-27, 30-20 before 1,441 fans in attendance, UCLA’s
largest home crowd of the season.
The match was the final regular season home game for the Bruin
seniors and they did not disappoint, as seniors Brennan Prahler and
Paul Johnson combined with Russell to record double-digit kills and
a .557 hitting percentage.
Overall, the Bruins outhit the Gauchos .441 to .307.
“Our seniors really carried us tonight,” setter
Dennis Gonzalez said. “To get a victory for them is just
awesome.”
The match was extra special for Prahler, who in addition to
making his first appearance in four matches, had his mother fly in
from Hawaii to watch the match.
“It was really amazing for her to come out here,”
Prahler said. “I definitely did not want to disappoint with
her in attendance.”
With the victory, the Bruins (24-3, 17-3 MPSF) are still in
contention for first place in the conference standings, currently
one game behind No. 2 Pepperdine.
UCLA’s domination of UCSB was in large part due to
Russell, who redshirted last season and saw his first playing time
Saturday since playing sparingly against Rutgers on March 16.
Russell was ready from the start, recording a team-high six
kills and a .714 hitting percentage in the first game.
“I was ready for the opportunity,” Russell said.
“On this team, you just have to keep playing hard every
day in practice and you will get rewarded.”
Russell was given the opportunity to play because starting
middle blocker Allan Vince was late to the game while attending the
wedding of a close friend and could only be used in emergency
circumstances.
All together, Russell was part of a Bruin hitting attack that
hit .441 for the match and a phenomenal .750 hitting percentage in
the third game.
“It was just a great all-around match for the team,”
Scates said.
“We are definitely going to need more of these efforts
down the stretch.”
On their way to victory, the Bruins were able to limit the
nation’s top hitter, Evan Patak, to 17 kills and a .294
hitting percentage.
Repeatedly this season, the Bruins have been able to shut down
the opposing team’s leading hitter and limit his offensive
output.
But on Saturday night, it was UCLA’s little-known middle
blocker who stole the show.