No. 1 Bruins to face No. 2 Lions at State Farm Classic
A sense of déjà vu will hover around the net this weekend as the UCLA women’s volleyball team, slated by both the AVCA/USA Today and Volleyball Magazine polls as the preseason No. 1 team, will take on the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions Friday in Gainesville, Florida. The Bruins’ opening game on the 2000 schedule at the State Farm NACWAA Classic is a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament Central Regional final, in which UCLA fell in three games 15-11, 15-9, 15-5 on Dec. 10. Friday’s showdown is the first of 12 matches for the Bruins against a Top 25 team. Head coach Andy Banachowski’s squad received 23 first places votes and 1399 points overall in the AVCA/USA Today poll after finishing No.7 in last season’s final rankings. The Bruins return five starters, including perennial national player of the year candidate and 1999 All-American Kristee Porter. Last season the junior outside hitter became the second-fastest player to reach 1,000 kills in the history of the NCAA. She currently has 1,198 career kills. Senior middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman returns to Westwood for her final season and will patrol the net for the Bruins. The 1999 All-District player led the Pac-10 in attack percentage last season and was runner-up in the same category in the NCAA rankings. Other starters returning to this year’s lineup include junior setter Erika Selsor, junior opposite hitter Ashley Bowles, and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Fendrick. The Bruins will also look to senior defensive specialist Michelle Quon to help them hold off a potent Penn State offensive attack. UCLA will follow the Penn State game at the NACWAA Classic with matches against No. 9 Florida and No. 13 Colorado State. The games will test the state of the team early and gauge the accuracy of UCLA receiving the preseason gift of the nation’s top ranking. Notes compiled by AJ Cadman, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.