The first obstacle in the UCLA men’s volleyball team’s path to the NCAA Final Four fell early Thursday evening when No. 1 Pepperdine defeated No. 6 Cal State Northridge in four games.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, however, Long Beach State was not as willing to comply in the nightcap.
The fifth-seeded 49ers swept No. 6 UC Santa Barbara 30-24, 30-24, 30-25 to advance to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Finals and deliver a blow to UCLA’s playoff hopes.
The 49ers will now face Pepperdine Saturday in the MPSF Final, in a match-up of the two hottest teams in the country. The loser of Saturday’s final will be the top contender for the lone at-large bid to the Final Four along with the fourth-ranked Bruins (25-5).
Even if Pepperdine, the MPSF regular season champion loses on Saturday, UCLA coach Al Scates feels confident the Bruins will still be playing volleyball next week.
“I think we have a good chance either way,” Scates said. “If you look at our overall record, we lead both teams in the selection criteria.”
The Bruins have won two out of three against Long Beach State and split with Pepperdine in the regular season, sweeping the Waves at home and falling in five games in Malibu.UCLA also has a better won-loss record than Long Beach State, and a better record against common opponents.
“If you look at those factors alone, we should be in,” Scates said.
Should the Bruins earn a Final Four berth, they will have the advantage of playing at home in Pauley Pavilion where they swept the 49ers, Waves and second-ranked Penn State.
“No other team in the country can say that,” Scates said.
This unusual situation has befallen the Bruins before.
In 1991, the Bruins were on the other side of the coin, having reached the finals of the MPSF Tournament.
They lost in the final, however, and were left out of the Final Four as USC was given the final at-large bid, although they had lost in the quarterfinals.
UCLA hopes that the same will happen this time around.