Season’s best team effort helps bring down Trojans

Thursday, February 11, 1999

Season’s best team effort helps bring down Trojans

M. VOLLEYBALL: Players go on hot streaks, sweep USC; Bruins win
despite hostile enviornment in North Gym

By Pauline Vu

Daily Bruin Contributor

The UCLA men’s volleyball team (7-2, 5-1 MPSF) entered the North
Gym to face a triple threat of the USC squad (6-2, 5-1), its loud
band and rowdy USC fans, whose intellect was epitomized by insults
and cheers such as "You suck!" and "U-S-C-ya!"

But it was the Bruins who saw through USC’s bluster, as UCLA
swept them in three games, 15-5, 15-10 and 15-10, thus increasing
their current winning streak against USC to 13 games and ending the
Trojans’ six-game winning streak.

"It’s all the more pleasant to win in this little gym, where the
band’s drummer plays while our team is serving," said UCLA coach Al
Scates.

In the minds of the team, this was the first game of the season
where everyone was playing well.

"So far this season we’ve had good individual games; tonight it
all came together," said Mark Williams.

"There were good plays from everybody. They can’t win when three
of our five spikers are that hot," said Scates.

These three would be opposite Evan Thatcher, who led the team in
kills with 20 and had 10 digs, and quick hitters Adam Naeve and
Danny Farmer, second and third in kills with 19 and 12.

Williams played a consistent game, getting seven kills and 10
digs. Fred Robins added another eight kills and 10 digs.

"Fred’s hitting was off, but his digging and passing was so
good," Scates said.

Setter Brandon Taliaferro had 60 assists, seven digs and a
team-high three aces, as well as two kills done in his deceptive
trademark tip.

The team hit for a hitting percentage of .395 while holding USC
to .176. More remarkable is the way they held USC’s two big men,
outside hitters Brook Billings and Eli Fairfield, to hitting
percentages of .147 and .206.

"We took care of their main two guys – stuffed them, took them
out," Scates said.

The Bruins jumped to a 5-0 lead in game one, gave up two points
when Taliaferro hit the ball wide and Thatcher’s hit was blocked,
then went on a 8-0 run to make the score 13-2. USC quickly scored
another two points on an ace and kill, but several sideouts later
made the game point for UCLA when Billings slammed the ball into
the net.

But USC fought hard, and it took another Trojan point and 16
sideouts before a Naeve block ended game one.

By game two, the Trojans determined UCLA would fight for its
victory. They never trailed by over three points until UCLA had the
game at 14-10 – and then, like game one, the Trojans fought their
hardest at game-point. Billings opened the rally by slamming the
ball into Robins and knocking him down. But their rally was too
late, as 11 sideouts later Williams slammed the ball for the kill
and the victory of game two.

In game three, USC jumped out to a 3-0 lead, losing it
immediately when Naeve blocked USC twice in a row to tie the score
at 3-3. Until the score was 10-8, UCLA didn’t get ahead one point
without USC catching up.

But when the Bruins took the lead, they didn’t let go. USC had
two more points, including an ace, but Taliaferro matched that ace
with one of his own to make the game 14-10, then finished it with
another ace – the quickest finish of the match.

"We’re a real young team," said USC coach Pat Powers. "We’ll
catch up to them next year."

But next year the Trojans come to UCLA – without their band and
fans. Expect UCLA to make it 14-0 then.

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