No. 8 Bruins fall to No. 1 Trojans even after clutch first set
Coach Al Scates and the No. 8 Bruins’ season ended in a four-set loss to the No. 1 Trojans in the MPSF quarterfinals Saturday at the Galen Center.
Men’s Volleyball
USC 3
UCLA 1
By Benjamin Kelly
April 24, 2011 11:41 p.m.
The talent was there, the heart was there, and the chance came for the UCLA men’s volleyball team to knock off a heavily favored USC team in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoff opener. At several points in the match, the Bruins were poised to put away the Trojans but ultimately fell 3-1.
The No. 8 Bruins (16-15, 9-13 MPSF) lost to the No. 1 Trojans (22-2, 20-2) twice in the regular season. In both losses they couldn’t find an answer for a powerful USC offense, so coach Al Scates looked to the versatility of his players as a weapon, and it worked. Junior Kyle Caldwell was put onto the court as a setter-opposite hitter hybrid, both positions he can play.
“He attacked the ball as the setter, and they weren’t used to that,” Scates said. “Nobody does that.”
The baffling setup was enough to squeak through the first set 25-23, despite an early 10-5 deficit. Junior quick hitter Thomas Amberg and freshman outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga continued to give the Bruins opportunities for success, with Amberg serving a 3-0 run to close the first-set gap, and Quiroga’s 15 kills putting UCLA in a position to break a late tie.
With the Bruins up 1-0 after a clutch performance, volleyball’s national powerhouse looked quite vulnerable. But the Caldwell threat could only take UCLA so far.
The Trojans neutralized a quick 3-0 Bruin lead and took control of the second set. Junior outside hitter Tony Ciarelli led USC with 21 kills, but his team was loaded with threats. A kill from Ciarelli sparked a late burst that resulted in a 20-14 Trojan lead, and they evened the match with a 25-18 win.
“Our hitting wasn’t enough to put them away,” senior libero Tom Hastings said. “They hit .460 (in the second set); it’s impossible to win when they do that.”
From there, USC kept rolling and managed to take the next two sets, preventing what would be volleyball’s upset of the year. They broke a 12-12 tie in the third with an 11-3 run to get another 25-18 win. The Bruins stayed within reach during the fourth and final set but couldn’t catch up in a 25-21 loss to conclude the match.
“We got a lot of good block-touches, balls we could dig,” freshman opposite hitter Spencer Rowe said. “Overall we just have to swing more aggressively.”
Unless UCLA receives an at-large bid, a highly unlikely case, the defeat ended what was quite a tumultuous season. The Bruins opened the year with a 7-2 record and went on a seven-match winning streak in March but also suffered four-match and five-match losing streaks. Inconsistent performance will almost surely bar UCLA from any chance for an at-large bid.
“Every year, the goal is to win the national championship,” Amberg said. “We have the players and the coaches and the ability to do it. It’s just a matter of putting it together and making it click, but this year that didn’t happen.”
