Bruins’ season struggle sets them up for success
Freshman setter Eric Matheis is one of four Bruin rookies who has had to step into a starting role for UCLA men’s volleyball. Matheis said that the Bruins have to learn that they can play up to the level of the nation’s top-ranked teams. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin)
By Claire Fahy
April 2, 2015 1:35 a.m.
Comparing UCLA men’s volleyball’s past two season records produces a stark contrast.
Last year, the Bruins finished 18-11 overall with a 15-9 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, an impressive statistic due to the wealth of talent in the west coast conference.
This season, the Bruins currently stand at 11-11 with a 7-11 MPSF record. No. 12 UCLA still has to face No. 14 Stanford and unranked UC San Diego, as well as No. 3 Pepperdine and No. 5 UC Irvine.
The Bruins maintain an outside chance to make the first round of the MPSF postseason tournament, as they currently sit in the eighth spot in the league, but with a low ranking and after an early exit last season UCLA will not be favored to go far.
With the end of the 2015 season in sight, the Bruins did not repeat the same standard of play as last year, but the season standings and records cannot be accurately interpreted without context.
UCLA took a class of four highly touted freshmen recruits and turned them consistent starters. The Bruins’ veterans managed to improve and thrive despite having to lead a team lacking in upperclassmen. Sophomores Mitch Stahl and Hagen Smith.
Against the top-ranked team in the nation, Hawai’i, Stahl anchored a young UCLA team Monday with a .600 hitting percentage. Stahl proved to his younger teammates that the Bruins can compete with teams as highly ranked as the Rainbow Warriors.
“We have to know that we can play with these guys,” said freshman setter Eric Matheis. “We can take that, go to practice, work hard, and I think we can do really well.”
Such a team was Hawai’i, whom UCLA fell to back-to-back Monday and Tuesday. While the Bruins emerged from the season series 0-2, their 3-2 loss on Monday proved that UCLA can hang with the best teams in the country, but the team struggles to maintain composure when necessary.
“They came out and served the ball tougher than they had (Monday) and our response was to be very quiet and we didn’t compete very well,” said coach John Speraw.
With its less experienced players gaining invaluable game-time exposure this season against the nation’s best, next season is a new opportunity for the Bruins to come back better than ever after persevering through a rebuilding year.
“We just gotta focus on our process – we gotta get back in the gym, getting reps,” said sophomore outside hitter Michael Fisher. “We just have to get in there and work on some little things, fine tune a couple things, and get back out there and start beating some teams.”
With contributing reports by Tanner Walters, Bruin Sports contributor.
