Volleyball takes aim at Gauchos

Published: Wednesday, February 8, 1995

No. 1 Bruins head north

for MPSF match against

No. 5 UC Santa Barbara

By Eric Branch

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Al Scates will get plenty of opportunities this season to do his best Lou Holtz impression.

When you are at the helm of the top-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team (5-0 overall, 2-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) there are plenty of chances to paint your less talented opponents as the second coming of the '27 Yankees, much like the football coach at Notre Dame.

Well, Scates is talking the talk, but tonight it could prove to be more than a psychological ploy as the Bruins travel up the 101 to battle a tough No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (5-2, 4-1) squad in the Thunderdome. Although UCLA swept the Gauchos 15-13, 15-8, 15-13 in their season opener Jan. 21 at the UCSB Invitational Tournament in Santa Barbara, UCSB did not surrender without a struggle. The Bruins hit a mere .268 in the two-hour victory, their second lowest percentage of the season. During the match, the Gauchos dug an incredible 71 balls while being narrowly outblocked (17.5 to 16).

These statistics left Scates, whose Bruins have also faced defending national champion Penn State this season, rather impressed.

"They're the toughest team we've played this year," Scates said. "They sideout better than anyone I've seen. When we played them before no one on our team had a big hitting night, they shut everyone down."

While Scates may stop just short of conceding defeat, UCSB head coach Ken Preston is already frantically waving the white towel. To hear him talk, the Gauchos, who return five starters from last seasons' 10th-ranked team, have achieved their No. 5 ranking despite bearing a faint resemblance to the '62 Mets, or perhaps the '94 Rams.

"We'll go out and compete like last time," Preston said. "But it's tough going against a team like UCLA. We're improving every day but we have a long, long way to go. It's a cliche, but unfortunately, right now it's true."

Evidence of UCSB's improvement is a 3-2 home victory over then No. 4 Brigham Young last Friday after the Cougars previously swept the Gauchos in Santa Barbara earlier in the season. In addition, BYU defeated the Bruins during a scrimmage at the UCSB Tournament all of which gives Scates more ammunition.

"After that first tournament we thought BYU was the team to beat," Scates said. "But now Santa Barbara looks awfully good."

Junior outside hitter Amaury Velasco, the MPSF Freshman of the Year in 1993, is part of the reason for the Gauchos improved appearance. In the previous match with the Bruins, Velasco posted a match-high 17 digs while helping to control the Bruin serve. In addition, Velasco is one of the finest trash talkers in the MPSF.

"He's definitely a volatile guy," Scates said. "But more importantly, he's a great passer. We had no aces in that match. He just stood out in the middle of the court and took every ball. We would be better off serving to him a lot less."

Donny Harris, a 6-7 sophomore outside hitter, is leading the Gauchos in kills for the second consecutive season. Harris, who is averaging 6.41 kills per game, blasted 24 kills in the first meeting with UCLA.