When the UCLA women’s volleyball team finished off their
match against Oregon on Nov. 20, many of the seniors fell to tears
after playing in what they thought would be their last home match.
Nearly two weeks later, however, the Bruins (18-10) received some
surprising news. By getting a No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament,
the seniors learned they will possibly have two more home matches.
“I never thought that I would have had the chance to play at
Pauley again,” senior Brynn Murphy said. “But now
I’m just so excited for the opportunity.” “I just
hope that we can take advantage of it and finish on a high
note.” All five of the Bruin seniors, one of the most
distinguished classes in recent history, will start tournament play
this Friday against Loyola Marymount (17-11). The season has not
necessarily gone as the Bruins envisioned, finishing the season
ranked 15th after starting it ranked third. But that’s a moot
point now as the Bruin seniors are just appreciative to get two
more matches to play in front of their home fans. “Despite
all we’ve gone through this season, it’s really special
for the seniors to be able to return home and play in front of our
fans,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “Hopefully
they’ll be able to capitalize on the momentum we gained in
the past weekend against the Washington schools.”
FAMILIARITY WITH THE OPPONENTS: Two Southern
California teams, Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount, were
selected to be in the same bracket as UCLA for this weekend’s
opening matches. “It will be tough competition for us,”
Banachowski said. “The quality of the teams in Southern
California is very high, and I’m sure they will be gunning
for us.” Both teams have players with ties to members of the
Bruins, which will offer an unusual level of familiarity between
all the schools. “All the girls know each other through their
club teams and are familiar with their tendencies,” outside
hitter Becky Green said. “It’s going make for a very
fun weekend.” Laura Kroneberger, in particular, has a unique
situation as her sister, Sara, is a member of the Long Beach State
team. “It was a very awkward circumstance when the tournament
seedings came out,” Kroneberger said. “I don’t
think I have ever played against my sister before, and it will
definitely be interesting.”
ZARTMAN FIRST-TEAM ALL PAC-10: Bruin senior
libero Chrissie Zartman, UCLA’s all-time leader in digs, was
selected to the All-Pac-10 First Team on Tuesday. It is
Zartman’s third consecutive selection to the All-Pac-10
team.