W. volleyball to compete in Hawaiian Airlines Classic

Published: Monday, August 26, 1996

Sunday, August 25, 1996

This weekend's tournament boasts trio of top teamsBy Grace Wen

Summer Bruin Senior Staff

"It's really exciting to play a respectable team like UCLA." "It's fun to compete with UCLA." "I enjoy playing UCLA." The sentiments of three different volleyball coaches seem to be one in the same they are all looking forward to playing the Bruins.

And with good reason. Ranked sixth in the nation by a USA Today pre-season poll, the UCLA women's volleyball team will travel to Honolulu this weekend to take on Louisville, Hawaii, and Michigan in the Hawaiian Airlines Classic.

Opponents know that when they step on the court against UCLA, they will always be given a run for their money.

UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski believes teams should be psyched to play against UCLA.

"We work hard to get the best players here and we train them hard. We know people get up to play us. We like that challenge," Banachowski said.

The Bruins will definitely be challenged during the four-day pre-season tournament. UCLA will battle two teams ranked at opposite ends of the top-25 and a third team that has roots in Westwood.

On Friday, UCLA will play No.25 University of Louisville. The Cardinals return five starters from a team that went 29-6 and finished with a perfect 12-0 record in conference play last year. New head coach Leonid Yelin says that his team is looking forward to playing UCLA.

"We are very excited," Yelin said. "It's exciting to play with respectable teams like UCLA and Hawaii. It's a very prestigious tournament."

Although playing teams such as the Bruins and Rainbows may seem like a tough way to break into his new job, Yelin says that his focus will be on getting his team to play the same way they practice.

After Friday's match, UCLA will get one day off to prepare for Michigan and Hawaii.

Despite the fact that UCLA and Michigan will have met only once in the schools' history prior to this Sunday's match-up, Wolverine head coach Greg Giovanazzi and his assistants Irene Renteria and Mora Kanim are no strangers to Westwood. All three are UCLA graduates and former Bruin volleyball players. In addition, Giovanazzi and Irene Renteria both served as assistants to Banachowski.

"We're kind of a UCLA East," Giovanazzi said. "We run a similar offense. It's a mirror of teams. Andy (Banachowski) and I share similar coaching philosophies. It's fun to compete with UCLA, There's a long history of friendship and competitiveness."

Banachowski agreed. "We're pretty similar," he said. "He's coached here for a number of years under myself and under Al Scates. He's got a lot of the same thoughts that we do.

"Last year they (Michigan) played us a little bit better than we expected them to be so I'm sure he'll have his troops fired up to play us. It'll be fun to be able to play against them, former players and coaches, and see who's gotten their style down to work the best."

Perhaps the most opposing styles of play will be witnessed on Monday when UCLA takes the court against top-ranked Hawaii. Last season, the Rainbows used scrappy defense and good ball control skills to earn a 31-1 record with an 18-0 performance in the Big West conference.

"It will be an interesting matchup because we have different styles. We're smaller but we're quicker. UCLA is more athletic than us. They're more of a power team," Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji said. "It's always a battle. We're two of the best programs in the country. We have always had a good rivalry."

A good rivalry, indeed. Currently, Hawaii leads the series 26-25 and looks to defeat the Bruins for the second straight season. Playing at home will give the 'Bows the advantage because Hawaii boasts the NCAA attendance records in both total attendance and per game average.

Playing in front of the Hawaii crowd is a challenge that Banachowski doesn't shy away from. If anything, he regards it as a good thing.

"It's great to play over in Hawaii," Banachowski said. "Their fans are so good. They're so vocal and it gets so noisy. You want to get all that stuff out of the way early on to find out what the team is made of and what you need to do."

For the Bruins, the preseason focus will be on getting together and creating a lineup, who have just two seniors middle blocker Kim Krull and setter Kelly Flannigan who are returning starters.

"We want to give everybody an opportunity to play some and try and establish a lineup and get some consistency in what we're doing on the court," Banachowski said.

"The first games really tell you what you need to do and what you've overlooked in the preseason as far as preparation goes. It's tough opening in this Hawaii tournament, playing such tough competition but it answers some questions for us early on."

Players and coaches alike are excited about the Hawaiian Airlines Classic. For some it will provide answers and for others it will give the opportunity to play against good competition in a beautiful place.UCLA Sports Info

Kelly Flannigan

Opponents know that when they step on the court against UCLA, they will always be given a run for their money.UCLA Sports Info

Kim Krull

Playing in front of the Hawaii crowd is a challenge.