And Most Outstanding Player is … Adam Naeve

Monday, May 4, 1998

And Most Outstanding Player is … Adam Naeve

SIDEBAR Team player recognized for steady tourney
performance

By Grace Wen

Daily Bruin Staff

HONOLULU — A small smile escaped Adam Naeve’s lips after he
heard his name announced as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA
tournament.

Was he smiling because it was the second time this year he’s
been named the most outstanding player of a tournament?

No.

He was smiling because the UCLA men’s volleyball team had just
won the 1998 National Championships.

"A year ago, I felt like my heart was on fire," Naeve said,
referring to last year’s heartbreaking loss to Stanford in the
championship game. "I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know what to
think. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve had in my life. This
year, I can’t describe it either. One’s the greatest feeling, one’s
the worst feeling. Right before the game, sitting in the hotel
room, I was shaking. I was trying to calm myself down. Trying to
get focused. Once the game started, I lost the nervousness and I
got intense. I just got in the right mind, definitely focused."

While his emotions may have been out of whack, it was Naeve’s
steady performance that was instrumental in UCLA’s championship
run. The sophomore has become the Bruins’ go-to guy, their main
offensive weapon.

He tallied 57 kills, 15 blocks, five aces and 12 digs to lead
UCLA through the tournament. In the finals, it was Naeve who was
unstoppable, with 23 kills and one error in 35 swings for a .629
clip. When the Bruins needed a kill, Naeve was usually the one that
was on the receiving end of the set.

Though Pepperdine knew this, the Waves were unable to slow him
down, much less contain him.

"He’s a good player," Pepperdine middle blocker Rick Tune said.
"He gets on the ball real quick. He hits the ball real high. He’s a
smart player. He’s physically gifted. Put that in a 6-foot-11 body
and that’s pretty tough to stop."

Despite all the praise and awards he receives, Naeve humbly
denies his role. He is the consummate team player, never dwelling
on individual accolades, preferring instead to divert attention
elsewhere and to credit his teammates.

"They may have given me the MVP, but UCLA, this whole team, is
the MVP," Naeve said. "There’s no individual player on this team,
never has been and tonight we proved it. I feel honored that they
gave it to me but this whole team deserves it."

The Bruins certainly proved the truth of his statement on
Saturday night with the distribution of their offense. Before the
finals, UCLA had never had all five hitters with double digit
kills. It was only fitting that in the last match of the year, the
Bruins pulled together for a cohesive team effort.

"That’s the first time all year that we had all five hitters
hitting well," UCLA head coach Al Scates said. "I’ve often said
this year that I don’t know who’s going to lead the team in hitting
from day to day. Everybody was in double figures except Brandon who
wisely dished it off to these guys cause they were hitting so
well."

While Naeve may have walked away as the tournament’s most
outstanding player, UCLA walked away with the title of most
outstanding team – 1998 National Champions.