Bruins Host Waves and Trojans this Week
April 08, 2013 | Men's Volleyball
April 8, 2013
This Week -- The third-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team continues its home stand this week to end the regular season. The Bruins will host sixth-ranked Pepperdine on Wed., Apr. 10 at 7 p.m. and USC on Fri., Apr. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be played in Pauley Pavilion.
Live Coverage -- Fans can follow both matches on UCLA's live audio broadcast, GameTracker and Twitter @UCLAMensVB. Darren Preston will call the action on the live audio broadcasts. Fans can watch the live stream of the Pepperdine match. Friday's match against USC will be televised live by the Pac-12 Networks.
In The Rankings -- The Bruins (18-10, 14-8) remained No.3 in the AVCA national rankings this week after splitting a pair of MPSF matches in Pauley Pavilion last week. The Bruins are in sole possession of fourth place in the league race, two matches ahead of Pepperdine in the loss column and two matches behind third place Long Beach State and UC Irvine. Should UCLA win one set in Wednesday's match, it will clinch the home berth in the MPSF quarterfinals. Pepperdine (13-10, 12-10) was in fifth place and USC (6-16, 6-16) was 11th.
Scouting the Opponents -- Pepperdine split a pair five-set home matches last week, beating CS Northridge on Apr. 4 and falling to Long Beach State on Apr. 6. USC split a pair of three-setters at home with the same teams, losing to The Beach on Apr. 4 and sweeping CSUN on Apr. 6.
The Series -- The Bruins lead the all-time series with both schools: 77-35 vs. Pepperdine and 88-40 vs. USC. The Bruins swept both teams on the road earlier this season, beating the Trojans on Feb. 18 and upsetting the No. 4 Waves on Feb. 23. The Bruins have won three straight against the Waves and four of the last five. Pepperdine's last victory in Pauley was a 3-0 win on Jan. 15, 2010. The Bruins and Trojans have split their last four matches, with each team winning on the other's home court.
Recapping the Week -- On Apr. 4 in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins dropped a four-set decision and the season series to Cal Baptist. Seven Lancers' aces, including a match-high four by Levi Cabral, kept the Bruins off-balance and limited their hitting percentage to .214 -- lowest in 23 matches. Junior Robart Page led UCLA with 17 kills an ace and two total blocks for 19.5 points, followed by 10 kills each from junior Dane Worley and freshman Trent Kersten, who recorded career highs in kills and points (13.0).
UCLA got back on the winning track with a sparkling 3-0 upset victory against No. 1 BYU on Apr. 6. The victory snapped the Cougars' 12-match winning streak and kept the Bruins two matches in front of Pepperdine in fourth place of the MPSF race. UCLA junior Gonzalo Quiroga was the match leader in kills with 15 (.333), followed by 10 from Worley, who hit .643.
Speraw's First Season at UCLA -- John Speraw (UCLA '95) begins his first season as the head coach at his alma mater. In 10 seasons at UC Irvine, Speraw led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships, including the 2012 title, and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. Last summer, he also served as an assistant coach for the USA Men's National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw earned AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was given the USA Olympic Committee's National Coach of the Year award in 2007. His current career record is 217-116 (.651). On Mar. 25, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. He will continue in his role as the Bruins' head coach.
Coming Up -- Following their matches this week, UCLA will host an MPSF quarterfinal match on Sat., Apr. 20 in the John Wooden Center if it wins one set on Wednesday.
For the 14th time in school history, UCLA will host the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. The 2013 championship is scheduled for May 2 & 4 in Pauley Pavilion. For ticket information, please call 310-UCLA-WIN.
