When asked if he thought the UCLA men’s volleyball match
Thursday against top-ranked BYU was a statement game, outside
hitter Kris Kraushaar’s response was simple.
“It’s No. 1 versus No. 3 at home,” the junior
said. “It’s definitely our biggest game of the
season.”
The No. 3 Bruins (20-4, 14-4 Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation), currently third in the conference, head into matches
Thursday and Friday at Pauley Pavilion against BYU (21-3, 17-1
MPSF) looking to secure home-court advantage for the first round of
the MPSF tournament.
“Clinching home-court would be integral for us,”
setter Dennis Gonzalez said. “I would love to play at home,
but we are confident wherever we play.”
BYU, meanwhile, heads into the match riding a 20-match winning
streak and has not lost since Jan. 17 to Cal State Northridge.
The Cougars currently hold first place in the conference, and by
splitting the two matches against the Bruins, they could clinch
home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
“They are the team to beat,” said outside hitter
J.T. Wenger, who will make his fourth consecutive start. “We
are really going to have to play well to beat them. We have to be
at the top of our game.”
A major issue surrounding the match is the eligibility of BYU
opposite hitter Joe Hillman, a transfer from Utah Valley State
College, who is second on the team with a 3.61 kills per game
average.
BYU officials have cleared him to play despite allegations from
UC Santa Barbara coach Ken Preston that Hillman is in violation of
NCAA rules by currently playing in his sixth year of college
volleyball.
Asked if Hillman would be on the UCLA trip, BYU spokesman Jeff
Reynolds said, “Why wouldn’t he be?
“We have no reason to believe that his eligibility in is
question. We have filed the information with the correct people,
and he has been cleared.”
Hillman garnered all-tournament honors at the National
Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Collegiate Volleyball
Sport Club Championships in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to
nirsa.net.
“We have played against professionals before, but this
will be the first time we will be playing against a four-time
(All-Tournament player),” UCLA coach Al Scates said.
The Bruins have their own problems to worry about, as they have
lost their past three matches against the Cougars. UCLA’s
last win against BYU came at Pauley in 2002 .
BYU features two top hitters in Fernando Pessoa and Jonathan
Alleman. Each player averages more than three kills per game, and
combined, both provide a fearsome hitting attack.
“They have some great hitters and are difficult to stop,
but if we play their tendencies and we play our own game, we will
have a good chance,” Scates said.
Providing the sets for the hitters is Carlos Moreno, who has
averaged 14 assists per game this year.
“He is considered the top setter in the nation, and
it’s going to be interesting how I measure myself against
him,” Gonzalez said.
“Moreno does a really good job of spreading around the
sets,” Kraushaar said. “He doesn’t allow you to
concentrate on just one hitter like some other teams do.”
Pessoa, meanwhile, an outside hitter for the Cougars, leads the
team with 351 kills on the year. He was a three-time beach
volleyball champion in Brazil and is second on the team in
digs.