UCLA faces tough task against UCSB

Friday, January 23, 1998

UCLA faces tough task against UCSB

M.V-BALL1-23: Recent rivalry adds suspenseful twist to upcoming
game

By Grace Wen

Daily Bruin Staff

There are some things in life that you just can’t predict. The
weather, when the next earthquake will hit Los Angeles, the winner
of a volleyball match between UCLA and UCSB.

In the last few years, volleyball matches between the Bruins and
the Gauchos have been extremely close. Although the Bruins boast a
90-24 lead in the series, nothing is ever guaranteed against the
Gauchos.

Last year the teams met three times (twice in league play and
once in the playoffs) with UCLA holding a marginal 2-1 advantage.
You can expect more of the same heart-stopping action tonight as
the top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team travels to Rob gym to
battle the Gauchos.

"With the team we have this year, with five returning starters,
we’re capable of winning three straight games against this team,"
UCLA head coach Al Scates said. "In league matches (this year)
we’ve done that four times. We’re capable of doing that, but
against Santa Barbara it seems like we usually go five games. I
feel lucky when we walk out with a win sometimes."

Lucky? Is this the same coach who has won 16 national titles and
begins the new year with only one goal in mind and that is winning
the national championship? Indeed. But, if you looked at last
year’s league matches you would understand why.

Both times the match was decided in a rally-scoring fifth game
and both times the margin of victory was only by a mere two
points.

However, the Gauchos are a different team from last year. Gone
from the lineup is outside hitter Donny Harris who was one of the
top hitters in the league last year. The Gauchos retain setter Adam
Renfree, middle blocker Bob Hefty, and outside hitter Jeremy
Darner.

Thus far into the season, Darner has proved to be the go-to guy
for the Gauchos. Scates believes that the Bruins must contain him
to win.

"Jeremey Darner is a returning outside hitter and their go-to
guy," Scates said. "He’s the man we have to stop."

Besides stopping Darner, the strategy for UCLA remains pretty
much the same.

"We just go back and rip jump serves," Scates said. "We try to
make (them have) a bad pass and then get our big block on it and
score. Our strategy doesn’t change too much from opponent to
opponent. When we get a bad pass, we score 50 percent of the time
at least."

GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin

No. 17 Tom Stillwell spikes the ball for the Bruins in a game
played against Stanford last season.