Men’s volleyball picks up rhythm, win streak with comeback victories
Junior outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga’s 22 kills in UCLA’s game against CSU Northridge helped the Bruins to another five-set comeback win.
Men's volleyball
UCLA 3CSU Northridge 2
By Young Rae Kim
March 19, 2013 12:00 a.m.
The UCLA men’s volleyball team is gaining momentum, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
With just more than a month until the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, the Bruins seemed to have found their rhythm.
On Friday night, No. 5 UCLA defeated Cal State Northridge in another five-set comeback victory to extend its current win streak to four. This is the longest win streak the Bruins have had this season.
UCLA had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in a match similar to its most recent victory against Long Beach State on Wednesday.
The Bruins came out sluggish in the first set and hit poorly early on. Cal State Northridge took advantage of UCLA’s low hitting percentage and led by as many as eight points in the opening set. UCLA had a combined total of just four kills in the first set, losing 20-25.
From that point on, UCLA drastically improved its hitting. In the last four sets of the match, UCLA hit an impressive .535 and Cal State Northridge could not keep up.
UCLA found itself down two sets to one, but a crucial fourth-set victory by the Bruins kept them in the match. UCLA came out on fire in the fourth frame, scoring the first four points. The Bruins led by as many as six and the Matadors did not put up much of a fight.
In the last set, both sides came out battling and the score was tied 4-4 early on in the fifth. UCLA continued its hot hitting and hit .786 in the last set. The Bruins took the set 15-10 along with the match.
Junior outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga led the Bruins with 22 kills while redshirt junior outside hitter Dane Worley contributed with 12.
In addition, junior outside hitter Robart Page had 10 kills in the match despite not playing in the last two sets. Coach John Speraw substituted in sophomore Kene Izuchukwu who ended the match with five kills and no errors.
The Bruins will take the week off before heading back on the road against UC San Diego on March 29.
Compiled by Young Rae Kim, Bruin Sports contributor.
