Friday, March 29, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Anteaters encounter familiar fate

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 16, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 17, 1996

This time around, Bruin spikers show UC Irvine quick exit in
match sweepBy Ruben Gutierrez

Daily Bruin Staff

Hopefully, UC Irvine relished the last match they played against
No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 27. In that match, the Anteaters came within
three points of the Bruins in each of the three games.

Tuesday night, the Bruins (21-5 overall, 15-4 Mountain Pacific
Sports Federation) made them look more like junior-high volleyball
camp participants than Division I players in a 15-3, 15-1, 15-7
rout. The Bruins dominated UCI (8-17 overall, 3-16 MPSF) in every
facet of the match, out-hitting the hapless Anteaters .514-.157 and
out-blocking them 15-1. UCLA head coach Al Scates was most
impressed, however, by his squad’s defensive performance.

"I really liked the way the boys were hustling and digging,"
Scates said. "We were really focused on defense tonight. Also, when
they did block the ball, someone was there to bump it back up for
us."

The first game of the evening was no contest from the start as
swing hitter Matt Taylor opened up the scoring with an ace for
UCLA. With UCLA holding a 7-3 lead, opposite Paul Nihipali served
for six-straight Bruin points to extend the UCLA lead to 13-3 and
leave the Anteaters hoping for better luck in the next game. The
game ended much as it had started, with Taylor using a soft touch
off of a dish from setter Stein Metzger for the put-away.

The first game proved to be a portent of things to come for
Taylor, who finished with 11 kills and a match-high 10 digs while
starting in place of the injured Fred Robins.

The unimaginable occurred in the next game: things got even
worse for the Anteaters. UCI scored its first point after the
Bruins posted the first dozen. UCLA destroyed Irvine with sheer
offensive firepower and timely blocks, out-gunning them .606 to a
measly .138 in the second game.

The Anteaters were finally put out of their misery in the finale
on one of Metzger’s eight kills. Metzger put away eight kills in
eight attempts to record a 1.000 attack percentage. The senior also
pumped in 49 assists and four digs.

The Bruin fortunes entering the post-season were also surely
bolstered by the impressive play of Nihipali, who recorded a
match-high 18 kills on a .533 average. Nihipali had been in
somewhat of a slump, but responded with the best match he has
played since early last month, according to Scates.

"I like that Paul seemed to hit the ball with his pre-finals
velocity," Scates said. "This is the first night I really think he
had everything back."

"Saying I was in a slump is putting it nicely," Nihipali said.
"I just had a talk with myself saying ‘it can either be Saturday,
or it can be May 4 (the NCAA final).’ That had a lot to do with how
I came out to play. So, I decided I still wanted to be playing May
4. It was now or never."

As the Bruins open the MPSF playoffs against Pacific at home on
Saturday, they appear to be pumping on all cylinders. James Turner
recorded six kills, nine digs and six block assists for UCLA, while
Tom Stillwell added eight put-aways, a solo block and six block
assists for the defending national champions.

ANDREW SCHOLER/Daily Bruin

Benched midway through Friday’s match at Long Beach State, Paul
Nihipali took out his frustration on UC Irvine Tuesday night with
18 kills on a .533 attack percentage.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts