Al Scates is no stranger to the playoffs, and even though his UCLA men’s volleyball team is headed there, the coach isn’t thrilled about how the Bruins closed out the regular season.
UCLA’s 3-1 loss to Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday came two days after suffering a sweep at the hands of USC, and UCLA enters the postseason with only one win in its last six matches.
“That’s not the way to do it, that’s for sure,” Scates said of how his team finished off the regular season. “I’d rather go in (to the postseason) with about a 10-match winning streak, believe me.”
The loss came on Pepperdine’s senior night and was the last match of the regular season for both teams. The No. 13 Waves (11-15, 7-15 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) did not qualify for the MPSF playoffs and would not have gone even if they did, as the school self-imposed a playoff ban on its men’s volleyball, men’s tennis and baseball teams for giving away more financial aid than is allowed under NCAA rules.
No. 8 UCLA (16-14, 9-13) began the night with sloppy passing that contributed to hitting struggles, culminating in a .000 hitting clip in the opening set, which the Bruins lost 25-19. The passing woes gave redshirt junior setter Alex Scattareggia very few targets to go to.
“We were shanking the balls, and the setter was just trying to get to the pass, and he usually had one option, which gave Pepperdine a chance to get two or three blockers on almost every play,” Scates said.
As the Bruins’ passing improved throughout the match, so did their hitting. After registering triple zeros in the first, UCLA hit .423 in its second set win. With the set tied at 18, the Bruins went on a 5-1 run that included a kill and a service ace from redshirt junior quick hitter Weston Dunlap, who, along with freshman outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga, led UCLA with 11 kills, and two kills by junior opposite Kyle Caldwell. The run put the Bruins in position to tie the match with a 25-22 win.
But after forcing a tie, UCLA couldn’t stop Pepperdine in the third, losing 25-20 and letting the Waves hit for a .478 clip. Scates substituted Caldwell for Scattareggia at the setter spot in the fourth to address the hitting problems, as redshirt freshman setter Connor Bannan was sick and could not play. The change didn’t improve the offense, but the Bruins showed resilience. Down 21-18 following a timeout, UCLA regrouped and fought back to be within one point before losing 25-23.
“I think we definitely haven’t been playing with that togetherness that we’ve shown signs of, and that was like a sign of it, really coming together and being motivated,” Dunlap said of the Bruins’ play late in the fourth.
A UCLA victory against No. 1 USC in the quarterfinals of the playoffs on Saturday would mark a major upset, especially after the Bruins were swept by the Trojans on Thursday. But the team has plenty of time to practice and is approaching the match with confidence.
“It would have been nice to end the season with a win, but we’re definitely looking forward to the next game, and we’re pretty optimistic about it,” Dunlap said.