With more than half the season in the rearview mirror, the No. 6 UCLA women’s volleyball team will look to celebrate its return to the John Wooden Center’s Collins Court this weekend in grand fashion for multiple reasons.

For one, the Bruins haven’t played at home since Sept. 24, when they defeated Cal after besting Stanford the night before. The team is excited to compete on its own court, and more importantly, in front of a supportive crowd.

It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Week, an event the team will commemorate by wearing special pink jerseys that will be auctioned off after the games.

The weekend also marks the return of sophomore outside hitter Kelly Reeves, who played limited minutes against the Arizona schools while nursing a minor injury. Reeves practiced in full this week and plans to play this weekend.

“It’s 99 percent – I’m taking it slow and being cautious in practice. I’m playing and going hard, but I don’t want to do something stupid in practice. I’m being smart about what I do, but I’m also working,” Reeves said.

“It feels so good to be home for two weekends. It feels good to be back, and hopefully we’ll have a good crowd out and have some support. We’re excited for the weekend for sure.”

UCLA plays Oregon State tonight, a team that UCLA has historically handled without too much trouble. The Bruins have won the last seven match-ups against the Beavers and hold a 48-3 advantage in the series.

Coming off a five-set loss to Arizona, this match will be an opportunity for UCLA to focus on its offense and playing its own style.

The team has been working to increase its intensity in practice, hoping the energy will translate to in-game scenarios.

“I think our intensity has been really good these past couple days. We’re in the gym working hard and getting stuff done. The atmosphere’s been really good. I think we bounced back from Arizona and forgot about it, and we’re just working,” Reeves said.

Reeves added that the team needs to stay aggressive and mentally tough, rather than underestimating its opponents and allowing them to control the match.

“Don’t be afraid to attack. We want to come out like we did against Stanford and Cal and not take them lightly. We want to bring the intensity and bring our game. We’ll be mentally strong this weekend,” Reeves said.

On Saturday UCLA will host No. 16 Oregon. The Ducks are only 1-4 against ranked teams this year but are a dangerous team nonetheless, with four players averaging more than two kills per set. UCLA, however, has had answers for Oregon in the past and holds a 27-1 record in matches played at home. Oregon plays at USC tonight.

“We’re very excited to play Oregon, because they’ll really give us a good run for our defense, and that’s what we need to work on,” Love said. “They’re really good at the off-speed and tip shots that have sometimes proven difficult for us, so we’ve been working on that this week. We’re just excited to play.”

For coach Mike Sealy, the most important issues for the team are emotional and mental ones rather than technical issues.

“We’ve got to show up. Our losses and our matches where we’re not playing well have very little to do with technical aspects and everything to do with emotional aspects. If they’re playing excited and loving the sport, they’re in the process of getting better,” Sealy said.

Sealy emphasized that the team shouldn’t focus on the results but should play in the moment and remain focused.