ONLINE EXTRA: Bruins face large crowd of hecklers at USC

By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Home-court advantage gives any team a boost in morale, and for
the past five years, USC has called the North Gym home.

Rivaling the size of an old high school gym, the North Gym
offered an intimate setting for spectators. In fact there was only
room for a scorers table between the court and the stands along one
sideline, and on the opposite side, just inches from the sideline,
was the student cheering section.

Combine that with the dull yellow lighting – a photographer’s
worst nightmare – and it’s not hard to see why the Trojan
volleyball team so loved that gym.

"If I could choose anywhere to play, I would choose the North
Gym just because the people are so close to the court and it’s so
much louder," said sophomore outside hitter April Ross.

And though she may be biased, senior middle blocker Jennifer
Pahl boasts that North Gym is the hardest place to play in the
Pac-10.

So when the Bruins heard that they would be playing at the Lyon
Center, the USC recreation facility the Trojans called home from
1988-96, instead of the North Gym this year, most thought it would
not be as bad.

It could not be as hot, loud and tense as the North Gym,
right?

Wrong.

More available seating meant more students could attend. Not
only were the bleachers filled, but the area beyond one baseline
was filled with spectators on their feet by the start of the third
game.

"We definitely were coming in thinking they were going to lose a
little of their advantage that they have had in past years," said
UCLA senior outside hitter Ashley Bowles. "But I’d have to say they
packed it in pretty good."

Scanning one side of the room, the eye was met with nothing but
red and gold, donned by a packed student section filled mostly with
student-athletes and the band. The noise level was deafening
through the whole match and only got louder as USC rolled through
the games.

And though there were moments when the Bruins made the hecklers
eat their words, the loud roar did not subside through the
three-game sweep.

The Trojan fans were considerably further away from the court on
Friday than they would have been at the North Gym, but there was no
question as to whether the athletes on the court could hear the
jeering.

Considering the sometimes profane taunting from the Trojan fans,
it would not have been surprising to hear that the Bruins’ game had
been affected by the crowd. But that did not seem to be the
case.

In fact, UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski sees the hostile
environment as a motivating factor.

"You like to play in arenas that get your blood flowing and
challenge you somewhat," said Banachowski, who is in his 35th year
of coaching. "It’s designed to bring out the best in good
athletes."

And even though UCLA senior outside hitter Kristee Porter was
the target of most of the heckling, she said it just does not
bother her.

"We hear it, but I really don’t care," Porter said. "It doesn’t
really matter. (The fans) weren’t really a factor for me
personally."

But Banachowski does not ignore the power of a loud gym.

"It’s hard when things start going badly and you don’t feel any
support because the other team’s crowd is making so much noise,"
Banachowski said.

The hostile environment does not exist solely at USC. UCLA will
encounter it in Arizona, at Stanford and at Washington State.

And with the USC game crossed off their list, the Bruins may be
more prepared for other tough arenas down the road.

But nothing quite like the North Gym.