Men’s volleyball clinches playoff bid in emotional game

There were no championship banners hanging from the rafters. No famous names emblazoned on the hardwood. No jumbotron or large scale seating.

What there was in Collins Court on Saturday night was a passionate No. 10 UCLA men’s volleyball team with a full-capacity crowd ready to see it down No. 3 BYU in four sets on senior night.

“The energy – you could feel it. Thirty minutes prior to game time, people were filling in and just making a buzz,” said freshman middle blocker Mitch Stahl. “We had a great student section from all the sports around campus. They did an awesome job – they really fed us and we’re going to need them the rest of the way.”

With the Bruins’ postseason chances in serious doubt, the team needed to pull off an upset win over the Cougars in order to guarantee a trip to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.

From the first serve, this sense of urgency was evident in every move UCLA made. From Stahl’s emphatic celebrations following a kill to freshman libero Jackson Bantle’s relentless defense to senior outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga’s passionate play, the importance of the game was clear.

These emotions were only heightened by the crowd – including many of the players’ parents as well as elaborately costumed student supporters. The different venue, a major downsize from the usual Pauley Pavilion, created an electric atmosphere that only increased in intensity as the game went on, spurring the Bruins to a dominant 3-1 win over the Cougars.

“I felt like we deserved to get in the playoffs,” said coach John Speraw. “We’ve been through a lot, we’ve come back, we’ve started to get things going again. It would’ve been a real disappointment for me to not have this team get this opportunity.”

Speraw made a couple of unexpected moves Saturday – playing Bantle, usually an outside hitter, at libero, substituting freshman Jake Reeves for senior Robart Page when the team was in need of better passing and starting sophomore Steve O’Dell, who has been injured, at setter. The new lineup proved advantageous for the Bruins, and Speraw made few adjustments throughout the game.

“I think we have a lot of options now,” Page said. “Steve’s doing a great job moving the offense around, we’ve got a lot of good strong pin hitters, Spencer Rowe is playing awesome on the right side. Everyone’s stepping up to the plate and everyone’s finding their role and they’re playing well.”

UCLA will need to continue playing well if it hopes to advance to the semifinals of the MPSF tournament. The Bruins take on UCSB on the road on Saturday in their first and potentially last matchup of the postseason.