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By AJ Cadman

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For the UCLA women’s volleyball team, starting the season with the top ranking in the nation had less to do about winning and more about having everything to lose.

“(The top ranking) does add some pressure,” UCLA outside hitter Kristee Porter said. “It’s still really early. We are still getting our chemistry together as a team.”

After a stellar performance on Friday afternoon at the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Classic against the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1), the No. 1 Bruins (1-1) fell in the championship match to the

No. 15 Colorado State Rams (2-0) 15-8, 8-15, 15-12, 11-15, 17-15 in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday.

In their second straight five-set match in as many days, UCLA opened an early 3-0 lead that they soon relinquished to the Rams. An 8-2 scoring stretch by Colorado State, aided by five consecutive hitting errors by the Bruins, helped lead them to the opening set victory.

The Bruins bounced right back, led by superb net play from senior middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman and junior opposite Ashley Bowles. Combining for a solo block and an assist apiece, UCLA proceeded to take the second set.

“I was really proud of our freshman,” Porter said of the Bruins’ confidence in their newcomers. “They played like veterans this weekend and that was a boost for us.”

The Bruins then faced a draining 38-minute third set. UCLA jumped out to a 6-3 advantage. A 5-2 stretch by Colorado State afterward evened the set at 8-8. The Rams put the handcuffs on the Bruins to steal the 15-12 set victory.

The Bruins would again regroup for 15-11 fourth set win before setting the stage for a final stand in the fifth. UCLA went point-for-point with Colorado State to bring the score to match point at 14-11.

With a golden opportunity to defeat two ranked teams in two days, win a tournament championship and start the season undefeated atop the rankings, the Bruins allowed the chance to slip through their fingers.

“We handled (consecutive five set matches) alright,” said Bruin junior setter Erika Selsor. “Saturday’s match didn’t go five because we got fatigued. We just didn’t play as sharp as we did on Friday.”

A Bachman kill gave UCLA a 15-14 match point situation. But a Bruin hitting error by National Player of the Year candidate Porter after a Colorado State kill gave the Rams a 16-15 lead. Then a block by Colorado State at the net off Porter preserved the match victory.

“If you have a money player, you’re going to go to her,” said UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski, “and that’s what Kristee Porter is for us. Colorado State played well, but we squandered some opportunities. I thought we would pull it out tonight, but we were a few kills short.”

Porter and Selsor, were named to the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Classic Tournament team.

On Friday, UCLA opened the 2000 schedule by defeating second-ranked and defending NCAA champion Penn State 8-15, 15-12, 15-2, 13-15 and 15-12.

They gained revenge on their tournament loss to the Nittany Lions in the Central Regional final last season. The Bruins struggled in the opening game of the match, giving the Nittany Lions an 8-0 lead before scoring a point in the game. The Bruins battled back to get close in the first set 8-7, but were not able to claw any closer.

In game two, it was a back-and-forth battle with six ties before Penn State began to pull away after 9-9. This time, however, the Bruins were able to reel Penn State in, tying the score at 12-12 on Lauren Fendrick’s service ace and eventually pulling away for the 15-12 win.

“We are still working out some of the kinks in our game,” Porter said. “But it was really exciting to get started and show what we we’ve worked on during the offseason.”

A 15-2 third game win for UCLA was led by Porter, who checked in eight of her 30 kills in that game alone. Game four quickly became a see-saw battle that saw the Bruins fight off nine straight game points, before a service ace by Penn State’s Katie Schumacher ended it at 15-13 and sent the match into the fifth game.

The Bruins opened with the serve, and inched out to a 1-0 lead on a Fendrick kill. Porter notched the backbreaker that ended the match with a 15-12 game five victory for the Bruins.

“We had some rough edges tonight, but I’m pleased with our starting point for the season,” Banachowski said. “It was our first match out, we need to smooth out our offense a little bit ... but I’m pleased with what I saw tonight.”

Porter posted her ninth 30-kill match of her career – the top total by any player in Pac-10 history. Three additional Bruins, Bachman, Fendrick and Bowles, posted double figure kills, having 16, 12 and 11, respectively.

The top-ranked Bruins now travel to Honolulu to participate at the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Sept. 1-4.

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