Men’s volleyball starts regular season with UCSB Invitational
Jeremy Casebeer and the No. 9 Bruins start the season at the UCSB Invitational.
Men’s Volleyball
UCSB Invitational
Today and Saturday
Santa Barbara
After wrapping up the preseason, the No. 9 Bruins kick off their regular season this weekend. The young team will get
valuable experience taking on MPSF foes.
By Benjamin Kelly
Jan. 7, 2011 12:05 a.m.
For the UCLA men’s volleyball team, this weekend will be an interesting mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar.
UCLA will face UC San Diego and then either UC Santa Barbara or Cal State Northridge in the UCSB Invitational.
Not only are they all league opponents, but UCLA has already faced the latter two this season in the SAC Tournament in the fall. Yet for a team that’s just beginning its season with several key freshmen, the tournament will be an opportunity to become more comfortable and gain valuable experience.
On Dec. 30, UCLA played McMaster University, which came down from Canada with an eight-match winning streak. Junior quick hitter Nick Vogel, who contributed 11 kills, was satisfied with the team effort.
“It’s not so much the team that you beat but it’s how you play that night, and we played really well as a team,” he said. “We played several freshmen on our starting squad and they handled themselves really well.”
Coach Al Scates continues to shift his players around and seek new possibilities after injuries to junior quick hitter Thomas Amberg and junior setter Kyle Caldwell.
“I like to find a combination that can dominate, but we have a good scrimmage every day,” Scates said. “It’s always nice competition.”
For the team to successfully compete in the always-powerful Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, it must utilize both its experienced returners and its freshmen.
Gonzalo Quiroga, a freshman outside hitter who just arrived from high school in Argentina, has already earned praise from his coaches and teammates.
“Gonzalo is playing like he’s 28 years old,” Scates said. “He’s 17, but he sees the block so well.”
Scates is pleased with his other freshmen players as well, including outside hitter Robart Page.
“We’re just trying to get them comfortable on the court and in front of the crowds,” said Jeremy Casebeer, a redshirt junior who shares the outside hitter position with four freshmen. “We still haven’t had a big game in Pauley yet, so that might be a bit of a shock, but they’re coming along very well.”
If UCLA plays UCSB, it will be a rematch of a very interesting SAC Tournament match. Both teams kept the match close through four sets, but the fifth game went to UCSB 21-19. The Bruins’ effort satisfied Scates, especially since he used 14 of his players.
“We have an especially close relationship with the Santa Barbara team,” Vogel said. “We know the guys personally, so it’s easy to pick someone out.”
