Ker savors four years
By Allison Ho
April 3, 2008 11:32 p.m.
In a state of disbelief and awe, Tony Ker sat in the stands of Pauley Pavilion before his first match as a Bruin, taking in all of the history of the venue that had taken place before him.
But little did he know that in the next four years, he himself would add to the UCLA men’s volleyball legacy.
Tonight, prior to its final home match of the regular season against No. 2 Cal State Northridge (20-5, 15-4 MPSF), No. 7 UCLA (16-11, 11-8) will honor Ker, the team’s lone senior.
“Tony is an exceptional leader as well as an exceptional player,” coach Al Scates said. “That’s why he was the obvious choice for captain.”
As a four-year starter for Scates, Ker has put together a laundry list of accomplishments, including an NCAA national championship and three All-American and two Defensive Player of the Year honors, and he is the career dig leader at UCLA with 1,179.
Ker surpasses his predecessor Adam Shrader, also a four-year starter at libero.
Swapping stories and looking back at his time on the team brings the senior from Valencia to the realization that once the season is over, there will be a lot to be missed.
Practicing on Thursday in Pauley Pavilion, as opposed to the normal gym in the Student Activities Center, made Ker even more nostalgic.
“I was really happy we got to practice in Pauley today,” Ker said. “I tried not to let it show to keep everyone focused for the game.”
For the last home game of league play, the Bruins rolled out the blue and yellow sport court, a more forgiving surface for the backs and knees of the UCLA blockers and attackers. In addition to the more generous springy nature of the court, they are also hoping it will add to the home court advantage of Pauley.
“It adds to the intimidation factor,” Ker said. “I was in there (yesterday) and it reminded me of my freshman year (in 2005) when we played against Pepperdine in the NCAA championships.”
Ker and the Bruins are hoping the MPSF leader won’t rain on their parade at senior night, as Northridge tops the conference standings and is the highest nationally ranked team from the MPSF.
An additional cause for concern is the last matchup between the two teams. The Matadors took that duel in four sets, 30-28, 29-31, 35-33, 30-28. However, because the sets were so close, the Bruins are optimistic that the outcome of this match will sway in their favor.
UCLA will have to slow down Matador star Eric Vance. The junior outside hitter leads CSUN in kills per game at 4.57.
Senior Travis Bluemling leads the Northridge team in sets, averaging over 13 per game.
Coming off a reassuring victory against UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, the Bruins have the momentum ““ Northridge lost to UC Irvine that same night.
That loss to the Anteaters snapped the Matadors’ 14-game winning streak.
“We re going to go out there and beat the crap out of them,” Ker said. “I have so much confidence in the team. I love game day; it doesn’t matter if it’s senior night or not.”
