As the Bruins faced the best team the East Coast had to offer on
Tuesday night, they proved that the West is still where the best
volleyball lies.
UCLA, facing a Penn State team that had won 16 straight games,
swept the Nittany Lions in three games 30-22, 30-27, 30-28 at
Pauley Pavilion.
Penn State came into the match with a 16-2 record and currently
has the best record out of any team from the East. With that in
mind, the Nittany Lions could potentially face the Bruins in the
Final Four later this season.
“It was a crucial match for us,” senior Allan Vince
said. “Penn State came in with a really good record and we
wanted to make a statement in case we face each other later down
the road.”
Despite what the final score may suggest, the Bruins (17-2, 12-2
MPSF) faltered throughout the game, allowing the Nittany Lions to
out-block and out-hit them. Fortunately, key players from UCLA
stepped up to bear the burden of the blocking and hitting
pressure.
Senior Jonathan Acosta stepped up his play in the third game,
recording 11 of his 13 kills in the final game, reminding players
and spectators why he was chosen as the Bruins’ captain.
“I knew the balls I was set had to be put away,”
Acosta said. “If some guys aren’t doing as well as they
can in an aspect, someone needs to step up, and someone always
does.”
Acosta’s play was especially important considering the
match was UCLA coach Al Scates’ 1100th career victory, the
most for any men’s volleyball coach in history.
“I feel great about the win,” Scates said.
“Anytime you beat a good team like Penn State, it’s
great. It was a special night, beating the best team on the East
Coast.”
UCLA was on the top of its game at serving and ball control,
recording nine aces compared to Penn State’s one. The Bruins
set a good tone for their biggest match this weekend as a few
players from No. 2 Pepperdine looked on from the crowd.
“We had a couple of rough games, but our serving really
came through,” senior Allan Vince said. “With the guys
from Pepperdine watching, I felt like we needed to show them our
dominance.”
Vince was a key contributor to the Bruins’ success,
boasting two of UCLA’s nine aces and recording a match-high
13 kills,
Vince certainly made his presence known as he consistently put
the ball away despite the tough blockers on the Penn State front
line.
The Nittany Lions recorded 15.5 blocks to a meager six from the
Bruins, and the height of the Penn State blockers certainly took a
toll on the Bruin defense. But, once again, the Bruins’
versatility proved to be a saving grace.
“They out blocked us, but they didn’t out pass
us,” Scates said. “We kept the ball on our side of the
net and that’s what did it for us.”
The match against the Nittany Lions marked the first of a series
of three tough matches this week for the Bruins as UCLA now moves
on to face USC and Pepperdine later this week.