Wednesday night’s match was a lot tougher for Dennis
Gonzalez than it appeared to be on the scoreboard. In fact, it was
tougher for Gonzalez than any match should be for anyone.
Just the night before, the UCLA setter learned that his
grandfather had checked into a hospital because of the effects of a
disease that has infected his kidneys and liver.
“It was very distracting,” Gonzalez said after the
match. “At the same time, playing was the right thing to do.
I had to try to use it in my favor.”
Amazingly, that’s exactly what he did.
Gonzalez looked noticeably different during the match. He
exerted extra emotion after nearly every point ““ pumping his
fist in triumph when UCLA went up 3-1 in the second game.
The Puerto Rico native never let up until the match was over,
when he finally let go.
When Paul Johnson slammed a cross-court kill for the final point
in UCLA’s 3-0 sweep over MPSF rival Long Beach State,
Gonzalez jumped into his teammate’s arms and began to
cry.
With watery eyes and tears flowing down his face, Gonzalez lined
up behind his teammates to shake the hands of the Long Beach
players at the net.
“I couldn’t really hold it back,” Gonzalez
said.
And who could blame him?
Perhaps the closest Gonzalez came to losing control came at
28-28 in the third game, when he became even more animated.
Grabbing his jersey constantly and nervously pulling at it as
UCLA mounted its late-game comeback, he gave multiple fist pumps
after each key Bruin point. That’s more fist pumps than
you’ll usually see out of any player. Even Gonzalez.
Gonzalez had been used to playing with emotion all of his career
and the UCLA coaching staff has been trying to get him to tone it
down a little.
But he let it all flow Wednesday night.
“Showing emotion is a part of my culture,” Gonzalez
said. “In Puerto Rico, we scream a lot all throughout the
matches.”
The memories of his grandfather were on Gonzalez’s mind,
even throughout the match.
The two shared a special relationship, often getting together on
holidays and special occasions, going to the beach in Puerto Rico
or sailing together on his grandfather’s boat.
Gonzalez’s teammates were largely unaware of his
situation. He says he only told “one or two” who were
very spiritual and asked for them to pray “that (his)
grandfather does not suffer too much.”
Gonzalez said he had been praying a lot himself as well.
Word of his grandfather’s deteriorating health comes
during a year which has already been stressful for Gonzalez. In the
fall, he was placed on academic probation, and had to get at least
Bs in all four of his fall quarter classes to get his eligibility
restored.
He came back after winter break, only to be told by the UCLA
coaches that he was out of shape. As a result he lost his starting
job.
After the first eight matches of the season, UCLA coach Al
Scates decided to finally insert Gonzalez into the starting lineup
in place of Gaby Acevedo, and the Bruins have not lost since.
“I had to handle this the way I’ve been handling
everything else,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve managed to
get a grasp of everything else I’ve experienced in the past
year. But I haven’t ever had this happen to a close
relative.”
Gonzalez made one thing clear after Wednesday night’s
emotional match, a match where Gonzalez seemed to will his
teammates to victory.
“This match was for my grandfather,” Gonzalez
said.
E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.