The UCLA men’s volleyball team is only six games into its season, but the Bruins have already beaten some of the nation’s most powerful teams.
UCLA faced three dangerous opponents in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Penn State, Ball State and host school Hawai’i. But the Bruins swept all three teams to win the tournament, with a collection of performances worthy of the confidence that coach Al Scates has for this season.
“I was expecting a really good battle against Hawai’i,” Scates said. “It was a little bit of a letdown for me. The crowd was ready to get into it, but we never gave them a chance.”
Saturday’s 3-0 decision would have likely ended much differently if Hawai’i’s star player, sophomore opposite Jonas Umlauft, did not come down with a stomach virus. With a huge piece missing from their lineup, the Warriors were forced to shift players each set and could not establish an offensive rhythm.
UCLA redshirt junior quick hitter Weston Dunlap hit .643 with 10 kills. Redshirt junior outside hitter Jeremy Casebeer was another key player, hitting for a .571 clip and contributing nine kills of his own. Both performed consistently through the three matches and were named all-tournament players.
UCLA opened tournament play on Thursday with a match against Penn State, followed by a Friday tilt against Ball State. Against Penn State, UCLA dropped the first set 23-25, but had no trouble taking the next three sets 25-19, 25-22, 25-18. The Lions’ redshirt junior outside hitter Joe Sunder was a tough obstacle on the other side of the net, finishing with 24 kills on the evening.
“You can’t really stop (Sunder), you can only slow him down a little bit,” Dunlap said. “We tried to move our blockers in his direction.”
Fortunately for the Bruins, Dunlap and Casebeer provided firepower of their own, with some help from their teammates. Junior quick hitter Thomas Amberg had 12 kills and three aces, forcing Penn State to play him with two blockers. Freshman outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga finished with 11 kills.
On Friday, UCLA played Ball State in its most competitive match of the tournament and earned a 3-1 victory. Casebeer’s nine kills and four block assists, along with Amberg’s nine kills and seven block assists, kept the Bruins on top. Quiroga chipped in with four aces, two of which helped seal the deal in the final set.
“Gonzalo really was very steady the entire tournament,” Casebeer said. “He’s only 17 but he plays like he’s 35. He’s very easy to play next to; he’s a great passer and makes things easier for me.”
Scates was pleased with where his team stood by tournament’s end. Once junior setter Kyle Caldwell returns from his injury on Monday, the team will be completely healthy again and entering conference play on Wednesday with a 5-1 record. Most importantly, the team has met success against some of the nation’s hottest teams.
“I think Ball State will be the best blocking team we see all year,” Scates said. “Penn State will be the best team in the East. We’ve seen two Final Four teams right there. The other one we haven’t seen yet.”
Unless Scates miscounted, that’s a bold prediction of where his team is headed.