Sage helps set up 5th consecutive win
Sophomore middle blocker Sara Sage started in both Bay Area matches this weekend, hitting a career high of 11 kills Friday at Cal to help the Bruins win in four sets.
By Farzad Mashhood
Nov. 3, 2009 9:49 p.m.
In the midst of the UCLA women’s volleyball team’s stunning weekend of road wins over Cal and Stanford, one individual’s performance stood out.
Sophomore middle blocker Sara Sage, who has seen a significant decline in playing time this season as compared to last, started both matches and posted a career high of 11 kills against California Friday.
Sage was filling in for fellow sophomore middle Katie Camp, who did not travel with the team to the Bay Area last weekend because of illness. With Camp, who is second among UCLA middle blockers with 129 kills on the season, out, coach Andy Banachowski had to call on the rarely used Sage.
Sage made only her seventh and eighth starts of the season this weekend and accumulated 18 kills in the two matches. Banachowski said Sage’s solid performance, despite a lack of significant playing time recently, gives the Bruins some depth.
“It proved our depth with Camp not even being able to make the trip,” Banachowski said. “And Sara, who has been working hard on the second side, stepped in and had a great match against Cal and backed it up with a solid performance against Stanford.”
With the Bruins winless against Stanford since 2000, and Sage having not started since the game against Arizona State on Sept. 25, she admitted to being nervous before the match.
“I was kind of a little nervous because I haven’t really played in a while,” Sage said. “So it was nice to know that I could still come and do the job. … It was a good confidence builder.”
With Camp likely to be ready for Friday’s match at USC, Sage is unlikely to start. However, she is hopeful for future playing time and increasing competition for a starting spot in practice.
“I hope so, but you never know,” she said. “It just brings more competition in the practice gym.”
Aside from Sage’s career performance, the Bruins have seen more depth as other players have been coming off the bench with significant contributions.
“Our depth is helping us,” Banachowski said. “Mari (Hole) coming off the bench, giving relief to some of the other players, (Bojana Todorovic) and Dicey (McGraw) in some of the situations, has been really beneficial for us.”
Hole, the freshman who has been backing up Todorovic and McGraw at the outside hitter spot, added six kills over the weekend and has been steadily improving this season.
Sage said this improved depth is due in part to the intensity of the team’s practices.
“We’ve been getting a lot of work done in the practice gym, so the competition in there has been raised a lot, and that’s shown up during the games,” Sage said.
Banachowski added that their improved performance in practice has translated to appearances in matches.
“They all have been getting bits and pieces of playing time here and there, but the thing that has been paying off for them is that they have been continuing to work hard in the gym and in practice everyday,” he said.
Freshman outside hitter Rachael Kidder is one of the players gaining significant time. Kidder has played numerous times in the front row as a blocker in place of freshman setter Lauren Cook.
But for Banachowski, the formula for success is simple.
“I think it’s just a matter of them realizing they have some tremendous strengths and getting some confidence and being successful out there in the matches,” he said.
Sather earns player of the week
honors
Redshirt senior opposite Kaitlin Sather picked up Pac-10 Player of the Week honors Tuesday for her performance this weekend in the Bay Area.
Sather posted a pair of double-doubles against Cal and Stanford, her 11th and 12th of the year. She is now second on the team in both kills and digs with 226 and 253, respectively.
