USAC recap – March 5

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public Comment:

  • A representative from California Public Interest Research Group said they went to a press conference about clean transportation Friday.
  • Several students said they were unhappy that USAC was holding a hearing about Richard White’s removal from the election board chair position without him present.

Special Presentations:

  • Lt. Kevin Kilgore announced the Police Chief Advisory Council is working to recruit more student groups for the next academic year.
  • Andy Cofino, director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center, said the center was able to pay for a leadership retreat, contraceptives and student trainings using a USAC Student Wellness Commission grant.

Agenda:

  • The council voted to remove Richard White as Election Board Chair.
  • The council allocated a total of $8,886 to USAC and non-USAC groups.
  • The council approved $286,091.53 for the Spring Quarter USA/BOD Programming Fund.

Reports:

  • President Claire Fieldman said her office will hold a letter-writing campaign, photo booth, and giveaways on Bruin Walk on Friday for International Women’s Day.
  • Internal Vice President Robert Blake Watson said his office hosted an event for students to discuss free speech on campus Monday. He added his office is holding several events to help students de-stress during finals, including an event with therapy dogs.
  • External Vice President Jamie Kennerk said her office is organizing a meet-and-greet with the University of California Board of Regents next Tuesday. She added there will also be a budget town hall after the meet-and-greet.
  • General Representative 1 Ayesha Haleem said her office is holding an informational meeting next week for students who are interested in getting involved with the office.
  • Facilities Commissioner Julia Ho-Gonzalez said her office has been working to extend Bruin SafeRide van hours.
  • Student Wellness Commissioner George Louis Faour said his office is surveying students about services they would like to see implemented on campus.
  • Community Service Commissioner Bethanie Atinuke Sonola said her office is hosting events for Homelessness Awareness Week, including an informational meeting this past Monday.
  • Financial Supports Commissioner Jay Manzano said his office held a professional development event for first-generation students in the Bruin Viewpoint Room yesterday. He added his office is holding an event on creating elevator pitches today.

GSA recap – March 6

The Graduate Students Association is the voice of graduate students on campus. The association meets for forum every three weeks and takes positions on current issues affecting graduate students. Forum meetings are at 5:30 p.m. in the Global Viewpoint Lounge in Ackerman Union.

Agenda:

The association approved a resolution in opposition to the proposed amendments to the University of California Student Association charter.

The association approved a resolution to include the Underground Scholars Initiative in GSA’s Student Interest Board.

Officer Reports:

• President Michael Skiles said the association will advocate for better public transit in Los Angeles after attending a Move LA conference March 1.

• Vice President of External Affairs Michelle Viorato said the association traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for low-interest loans and extensions to the Pell Grant for graduate students.

• Viorato also said GSA is looking for students willing to give public comments at next week’s UC Regents meeting about proposed fee increases of up to 5 percent that would affect graduate students.

• Viorato added the association will host a Healthy Grad Bar on April 5. The event is part of National Public Health Week, which is hosted by Students of Color for Public Health.

Women’s basketball smokes out Sun Devils in Pac-12 quarterfinal victory

This post was updated March 8 at 3:08 p.m.

The Bruins are advancing to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.

No. 4 seed UCLA women’s basketball (20-11, 13-6 Pac-12) defeated No. 5 seed Arizona State (20-10, 10-8) 73-69 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Friday afternoon.

“Any win in March is a huge deal,” said coach Cori Close. “But to have the toughness to overcome a team you respect as much as I respect Arizona State, … the win means a lot to us.”

With Arizona State trailing the entire contest, guard Robbi Ryan drilled a 3-pointer with one minute left in the fourth quarter to cut the Sun Devils’ once 15-point deficit to just one.

But sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere – who sat out a majority of the final period with four fouls – checked in with 1:40 left in the game and scored her 19th and 20th points of the game to seal the Bruin victory.

“She does what (Onyenwere) does,” Close said. “She’s efficient, she’s selfless, she plays her tail off and we really rely on her for that.”

UCLA was able to work inside on Arizona State in the first quarter, scoring 10 of its first 12 points inside the paint and went a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Onyenwere and redshirt senior forward Lajahna Drummer logged six points apiece in the first quarter, helping the Bruins to an early 22-14 lead.

The Sun Devils went 9-of-11 from the free throw line in the second quarter after failing to draw a single shooting foul in the first.

UCLA held Arizona State to 34.4 percent from the field in the first half and translated seven first-half turnovers into seven points on the other end of the court. The Bruins headed into the break with a 41-31 advantage.

Sixty-three of the 72 combined points scored in the first half were either from inside the paint or at the charity stripe.

Senior guard Japreece Dean logged 12 of her 24 points in the first half and found Onyenwere for three of her five first-half assists to help Onyenwere to a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe for 12 points of her own.

Onyenwere opened the third quarter with the first four points for the Bruins, but the Sun Devils held the Bruins scoreless for four and a half minutes and went on a 13-0 run to trim UCLA’s lead to one point.

“I think the most important thing was that we weren’t really communicating on defense,” said senior guard Kennedy Burke. “That’s why (Arizona State) had those easy layups. They were able to get those 3s off.”

Both All-Pac-12 members Onyenwere and Arizona State forward Kianna Ibis earned trips to the bench at the tail end of the third period after picking up their fourth fouls.

“(Onyenwere’s) got to stay out of foul trouble with us,” Close said. “That last over-the-back (foul) … she’s got to realize, ‘OK, what point of the game is it?’ And she needs to not take that chance because she’s too big of a piece for us offensively.”

The Bruins second-leading scorer Burke stepped in for Onyenwere, sparking a 10-2 run in the opening minutes of the final frame with a putback layup.

Close said she challenged Burke and Dean in timeouts.

“I thought we reestablished in the fourth quarter and I thought (Burke and Dean) were the keys to that,” Close said. “I got right in their close faces in a couple huddles and challenged their response to that.”

Then, Dean challenged Burke.

“(Burke) had missed a layup,” Dean said. “I looked at her and I was like, ‘You going to buck up or what?’… She came out and responded.”

Dean and Burke combined for 12 of UCLA’s 16 points in the fourth quarter.

UCLA will take on the winner of game between No. 1 seed Oregon and No. 8 seed Arizona on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. The Bruins fell to the Ducks in last year’s semifinal 65-62 in Seattle.

 

Men’s volleyball sets to ace nonconference matches against Ohio State, Penn State

The Bruins will take a break from conference play to participate in the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge.

No. 5 UCLA men’s volleyball (14-4, 6-0 MPSF) will face Ohio State (6-12, 2-6 MIVA) on Friday, followed by Penn State (8-8, 5-2 EIVA) on Saturday at USC’s Galen Center.

The Bruins have faced the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions in consecutive matches for the past three years, with UCLA posting a 5-1 record in those games.

“These are good volleyball teams, historical national powerhouses,” coach John Speraw said. “We know that the matches are not conference ones, but we also know the implications that they’re going to have at the end of the year, so these matches are critical for us.”

In order to make the NCAA tournament in May, the Bruins would need to be awarded one of the two at-large bids by the selection committee if they do not finish atop the MPSF. The committee considers factors such as a teams’ overall win-loss record and nonconference performance when analyzing candidates for the two bids.

The Bruins have a chance to strengthen their resume when they face the Buckeyes, who are the 2016 and 2017 NCAA men’s volleyball champions.

Ohio State’s 338 service errors are the second-most in the country, behind only UCLA. However, the Bruins’ 1.80 aces per set is the fourth-highest mark in the country, compared to the Buckeyes’ 1.31, ranked 24.

Speraw said the Buckeyes’ service error count can hide the serving successes of opposite Jake Hanes. Despite being seventh on the team in sets played, Hanes’ 14 service aces is currently tied for most on the team.

“The key thing is how are we going to pass (Hanes’) serve, and what kind of cushion do we need when he goes to the line,” Speraw said. “That’s a super important part of this match. He’s a really, really good server when he gets going, so we’ll have to make sure we don’t let him go on too many long runs.”

Redshirt sophomore outside hitter/setter Sam Kobrine said UCLA’s first step to capitalizing on Ohio State’s blocking errors will be optimizing passing.

“We’ll have to pass really well,” Kobrine said. “Focusing on passing opens up our offense and makes it easier for all the hitters, making the blockers have four people to worry about.”

UCLA will return to the Galen Center on Saturday to face Penn State.

Penn State is 20th in the country in service aces per set, but redshirt junior opposite Brandon Rattray said the Bruins plan to go all out on their serves in practice to simulate the Nittany Lions’ specialty.

“When we continue to hammer our jump serves in practice, that’s how our passers get better,” Rattray said. “You’re killing two birds with one stone there. We get to work on our serving – because that’s something we need to do – and then we’ll have passers on the other side of the net working on their passing.”

UCLA will begin its match against Ohio State at 5 p.m. on Friday and Penn State at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Weekend in Preview: March 8

Women’s golf
Michelle Murakami, Daily Bruin contributor

Darius Rucker’s music is typically associated with fishing and tractors, but the award-winning country artist’s name will be plastered along the links for the Bruins’ next tournament.

No. 5 UCLA women’s golf will compete at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, this weekend. The Bruins have never gone to the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate – which was started in 2012 – and will be joined by No. 3 Duke, No. 6 Vanderbilt and four-time Darius Rucker champion No. 21 Alabama.

At last week’s Bruin Wave Invitational, freshman Phoebe Yue recorded a career-best finish – tying for third with an 8-over 224 – while senior Beth Wu tied for 18th with a 12-over 228. While she said she was proud of Yue, Wu also said she thought she was striking the ball better than she ever had at UCLA.

“I think I did better than I thought (I would do) because that course is already so difficult and I’ve never really played well there,” Wu said. “The last two rounds were a lot better than I expected. I felt really good with my ball striking and I think I’ve been hitting it the best that I have since coming to UCLA.”

Coach Carrie Forsyth said the team still has to adjust some smaller aspects of their game in order to make strides this weekend.

“I think one thing for the group as a whole is wedge game, pitching and getting it closer to the hole,” Forsyth said. “I think we could do a lot better and clean things up.”

The Bruins will start the intercollegiate Friday and will finish up Sunday.

Rowing
Angie Forburger, assistant Sports editor

The Bruins are back at Ballona Creek.

UCLA rowing will kick off its season against San Diego State in Marina del Rey, California, on Saturday. The Bruins will compete in four races against the Aztecs, with both teams racing their third varsity eight crews and varsity four crews.

“We’re really excited,” said coach Amy Fuller Kearney. “It’s really early (in the) season still, so it’s kind of like laying the ground work (and creating) a starting point for what our race strategy will be. We’ll just continue to build until we get into the heart of the racing season.”

UCLA finished sixth last season at the Pac-12 championships, failing to qualify for the NCAA championships.

Fuller Kearney said the Bruins have been training in the off-season to get in the best shape possible and to be able to perform in high-stakes races.

“I know they pull hard, I know they’re fit, but I really want to see how they can hold the technique and execution under physiological stress,” she said. “That’s going to be our first test.”

UCLA’s race against San Diego State will be the first of two straight races at home for the Bruins, who will host Loyola Marymount on March 16.

“It’s always nice to have a home race (and) to be down on Ballona Creek,” Fuller Kearney said. “(There’s) a bike path (where) you can watch the whole race (so) it’s a nice starting platform because I can really watch what they’re doing for the entire 2,000 meters.”

The Bruins’ first race Saturday will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Track and field
Peter Frederick, Daily Bruin reporter

Six Bruins will compete against the best track and field athletes in the nation this weekend.

Junior distance runner Robert Brandt and freshman pole vaulter Sondre Guttormsen will compete along with a quartet of throwers, including sophomore Alyssa Wilson, senior Justin Stafford, and redshirt senior throwers Dotun Ogundeji and Ashlie Blake at the NCAA Division I indoor championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I think if I (make this my best meet so far) it will be possible for me to be in the top three or even get a PR,” Guttormsen said. “I can’t change how the other guys jump, it’s more about how well I jump and what mark I’ll be able to achieve.”

Guttormsen has earned three first-place finishes this season. He set a UCLA indoor and Norwegian record earlier this season at the Don Kirby Collegiate Elite Invitational with a vault of 5.73 meters.

The six Bruins qualified for nationals by finishing the regular season ranked in the top 16 nationally in their respective events. The athletes will be competing across events Friday and Saturday.

UCLA gymnastics ready to face Stanford after wake-up call at Oklahoma meet

The Bruins will face a familiar foe this weekend.

Coming off its first loss of the season to No. 1 Oklahoma (7-0, 1-0 Big 12), No. 2 UCLA gymnastics (7-1, 6-0 Pac-12) will compete against No. 24 Stanford (1-5, 1-5 Pac-12) at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday. Less than two months ago, the Bruins beat the Cardinal 197.225-195.125 in Palo Alto.

Despite the result of the two teams’ last matchup, the previous win against Stanford is at the back of UCLA’s mind.

“We’re not really worried about who comes in,” said senior Brielle Nguyen. “We’re just excited to have another opportunity to perform in Pauley. That’s fueling our fire in the gym because we haven’t been at home for awhile.”

Junior Kyla Ross said the loss to the Sooners on Sunday prompted a slight shift in training.

“I could tell a lot of people were more driven in practice,” Ross said. “Having gone undefeated before, I think everyone was definitely on a high but we definitely needed this to be able to show (that) it’s not going to come easy at nationals.”

Ross won the all-around against Oklahoma, scoring a 39.850. She also posted two perfect 10s in the meet – a feat no other gymnast in the country has accomplished this year. In addition to Ross’ 10s on uneven bars and vault, senior Katelyn Ohashi garnered a 10 on floor.

Despite Ross currently having the top all-around score in the country, coach Valorie Kondos Field is pulling her from floor this weekend in order to give her a rest.

“I honestly feel like I do better when I compete all-around, I’m not kidding,” Ross said. “I really love competing all four events because I just have a flow, so I honestly feel it’s kind of different when I take off an event. But, I’m definitely in need of a rest so I’m excited to have this one little break before postseason comes up. Those two weeks’ recovery (are) going to be key, so might as well get it in now.”

Stanford is coming off a 196.525-195.250 win against Arizona, its first victory and highest score of the season. However, the Cardinal have fallen to every other Pac-12 opponent.

In comparison, the Bruins’ lowest score of the season is a 197.225, which they scored against the Cardinal. However, after surpassing the 198 mark for two consecutive meets, UCLA dipped back down to 197.575 against Oklahoma.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, Kondos Field said she sees the loss to the Sooners as a learning opportunity.

“We all agree it was the best thing for us because it was a nice, swift kick in the butt,” Kondos Field said. “We had a team meeting this morning and we talked about where the cracks in our foundation are. Some of them are how we train, and the majority are with the culture of our program and our integrity with what we do outside of the gym. (We have to) make sure we don’t have any cracks in the integrity of the foundation of our team and who we are.”