Nihipali’s 29 kills help Bruins win tug-of-war with Long Beach St.
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 13, 1996 9:00 p.m.
M. VOLLEYBALL:
UCLA wins close match with 49ers at Pauley Pavilion in five
frames; Naeve gets 19 kills and 16 blocksBy Jennifer Kollenborn
Daily Bruin Contributor
The roar of excitement that erupted last night in Pauley
Pavilion complemented the teeth-clenching match that took place
between UCLA and Long Beach State.
The Bruins came out victorious in a close five-game series 15-9,
11-15, 8-15, 15-4, 16-14. The hot hand for the Bruins goes to Paul
Nihipali, who led with 29 kills and 11 blocks. Next in line, Adam
Naeve shot down 19 kills and had 16 blocks.
The 49ers challenged the Bruins with numerous spikes and an
incredible defense. Geoffrey Cryst lead the 49ers with 30 kills,
while Ed Rattledge added 23 kills and Chris Seifert finished with
16 digs.
This close match did not come as a surprise to either team.
Before the game began, neither team knew what the outcome would
be.
"I really don’t know what will happen tonight," Long Beach State
head coach Ray Ratelle said.
"I don’t have any idea who will win tonight. Long Beach lost to
Hanyang and so did we," said UCLA assistant coach Brian Rofer.
The 49ers showed their enthusiasm in the first game, jumping out
to a 2-0 lead in the first minute. However, this did not seem to
phase the Bruins, who rallied back to tie the game 9-9 33 minutes
into the game. UCLA eventually finished off the 49ers 15-11 with an
ace by Adam Naeve.
But, in Game 2, the 49ers surpassed the Bruins just when the
game could have gone either way. Twenty-two minutes into the game,
UCLA was down by a point. Then Long Beach State rose to defeat UCLA
15-11.
UCLA head coach Al Scates helped turn the tide by substituting
Andor Gyulai for Matt Davis in the third game. Gyulai’s
substitution aided the Bruins with a game-high two aces.
"Gyulai played very well tonight and helped with our comeback,"
said Al Scates.
UCLA really poured it on in the fourth frame by pounding the
49ers 15-4.
Sluggish at the start of Game 5, Long Beach State wasn’t ready
for what hit them. Freshman Brandon Taliaferro got into in a
groove, starting the game with three winning serves. But the 49ers
hammered back at the Bruins to push the game to a score of
14-14.
The Bruins prevailed when Paul Nihipali put down the final kill
to finish the match 16-14.
UCLA def. Long Beach St.
15-9, 11-15, 8-15, 15-4, 16-14
