UCLA bounces back to beat Hawai’i
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 1, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin (Left to right) Adam
Shrader, Cameron Mount and Scott
Morrow prepare to return the ball during UCLA’s 2-3 loss
to Hawai’i on Thursday. Hawai’i d. UCLA
25-30, 30-27, 23-30, 30-23, 15-13 UCLA d.
Hawai’i 30-25, 30-25, 20-30, 30-27
By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
While many UCLA students spent their spring breaks tanning on
the beaches, the UCLA men’s volleyball team was busy securing
its spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs,
splitting a pair of matches with visiting Hawai’i.
The No. 3 Bruins (18-6, 10-4 MPSF) defeated the No. 2 Warriors
30-25, 30-25, 20-30, 30-27 Friday night after a tough five-game
loss to Hawai’i on Thursday.
“I thought the first night we were a little rusty,”
Head Coach Al Scates said of his team, which was given a week-long
break from practice during finals. “It’s risky giving
everybody that time off but I think we needed to rest to cure some
nagging injuries that the players had accumulated over the course
of the season.”
The key to UCLA’s comeback was its ability to learn from
mistakes and adjust to its opponent’s strengths and
weaknesses. After UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and
Pepperdine, Hawai’i (16-4, 11-3) is the fourth team that the
Bruins have come back and beat after losing to them in a previous
meeting.
On Thursday, the Bruins were plagued by Hawai’i sophomore
outside hitter Costas Theocharidis, who put away a match-high 31
kills (.404) in the Warriors’ 25-30, 30-27, 23-30, 30-23,
15-13 victory. After the win, Theocharidis climbed the referee
stand and did a victory dance.
“We wanted to kill him,” Bruin senior Mark Williams
said.
And they did.
The second night, the Bruins held Theocharidis to 21 kills
(.235), including six hitting errors in game four.
“They have the best hitter in the league in Costas. He has
more (of a variety of) shots than any hitter than we’ve
seen,” Scates said. “Even when the defense is set
perfectly, he can still put the ball away.
“Just by watching him on video and becoming familiar with
his arsenal we were able to defend him better (the second night).
This team doesn’t make the same mistakes twice,” Scates
added.
On the Bruins’ side of the net, junior Matt Komer was the
biggest threat, leading the team in kills on both nights. On
Thursday Komer had 22 kills, eight of which he put away in game
three alone. Friday, Komer hammered 15 more along with two aces and
four block assists.
“Komer came back a lot stronger and some of the other guys
probably could’ve benefited from practicing,” Scates
said of the Bruins, who practiced only once before facing
Hawai’i after their week off. “But I’m looking at
the long range value of the rest.”
“Komer got his start because he had three good days of
practice (before finals),” Scates continued.
“He’s been in a terrible hitting slump but it looks
like he’s broken out of it.”
In addition to the Bruins’ learning curve, their depth
also aided in the comeback. While most teams direct more than half
of their sets to one hitter, like Theocharidis, who got 108 of
Hawai’i’s sets in the two matches, UCLA regularly has
up to four players hitting over .300 with double-digit kills.
“We distribute the ball so evenly we keep everybody
guessing,” Scates said. “We know Hawai’i’s
going to Theo.”
Also helping with the hitting game was freshman libero Adam
Shrader, whose 15 digs Thursday and 9 digs Friday allowed the
Bruins to mount strong attacks.
On Friday UCLA simply played better all around, outblocking
Hawai’i 18.5-9.5. The Warriors had outblocked the Bruins 11-9
the night before. Helping Komer out with the win was senior Adam
Naeve, who notched 14 kills and hit at a .500 clip, while Williams
and sophomore Scott Morrow tallied 13 kills each.
Going into the playoffs, every win puts the Bruins closer to
hosting in the second round.
“We needed to win the second night. In case we face them
in playoffs we can be prepared mentally,” Williams said.
“This team’s gaining momentum now. That second night
could’ve been our best match of the year,” Scates said.
“We needed that one match to get going again.”
“¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull;
Friday was a special night for the Bruins, who honored one of
their own in a pre-match ceremony. Former All-American Steve
Salmons, who was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in October,
had his jersey retired.
No. 29 was on the 1979 NCAA championship team, the first UCLA
men’s volleyball team to go undefeated. Two years later, he
finished his Bruin career with another NCAA ring.
Salmons, who Scates called the “most aggressive and
quickest middle blocker” he’s ever coached, went on to
win Olympic gold in 1984 and start for the World Championship team
in 1985.
