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Wednesday, 4/30/97 Quick hitter set to serve up his second NCAA championship Top-ranked blocker Tom Stillwell brings determination to the court

By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor The players come and go. There is always a new opponent ready to take his best shot, but the more things change, the more they stay the same for the UCLA men's volleyball team. The Bruins have become the measuring stick by which all other Mountain Pacific Sports Federation programs are judged and for good reason. UCLA has won 16 NCAA Championships since 1970 and enters the 1997 Final Four aiming to carry off its third consecutive victory. And what will contribute to UCLA's aspiring impeccable performance? One lone star Bruin quick hitter. All Tom Stillwell did was jump high and hustle. And look where it got him and the Bruins. The 1997 MPSF regular season champions have a wild card ticket to the Final Four. Stillwell's motivation, perseverance and the Bruin's excellent coaching staff have shaped him into one of the country's most feared blockers. Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches and weighing 200 pounds, the spry quick hitter has pushed his potential to the sky by paying close attention in practice to scouting tapes and listening to words of the wise from namely head coach Al Scates and assistant coach Brian Rofer. "The coaches tell you what they're going to do in certain rotations - who (the opponent) is going to and who they're going to set," Stillwell said. "It kind of gives you a little edge knowing where they are likely to go, so you can get going before they even start leaning that way. It also helps that I jump high and can get my arms over the net." Earning first team all-MPSF honors this season, the All-American comes into the Final Four as a fueled threat to opposing teams. Starting 24 of 25 games this year, Stillwell has clearly left his footprint in the volleyball arena. His first triple-double came this season against Lewis as he recorded 11 kills, 17 digs and 16 total blocks. In his career, Stillwell now has 11 career double-figure blocking matches including four this year. He also recorded a career high 25 kills twice versus Hawaii and UCSB this year. Ranked No. 1 in the nation in blocking percentage with 1.98 bpg, one might think that the All-American walks around the court like he is the next Jordan of volleyball. Yet the blocking leader does not take much stock in his title. A humble Stillwell shied from commenting on his NCAA rank, and seemed to have much more to say on the necessity of improving his game. "I don't really think I'm a good blocker," Stillwell said. "When I watch films, I'm pretty disgusted in the way I block, and I don't think that I'm a very good blocker at all. I have so much improvement to do in blocking. I just think that I hustle and I get to the outside every time, and I never give up. But, I'm far from where I want to be at blocking; that's for sure." Despite being an excellent individual player, Stillwell knows what it means to play with a team. He shares a common goal with his fellow teammates, which is to win the 1997 NCAA crown. In order to hook the 17th Bruin diadem, a sprightly Stillwell pledges his No. 1 duty to the team. Whether he is leading UCLA's attack as he did in January against Stanford with a .469 hitting percentage or leading the defense as he did in the league championship match, tallying 11 blocks including a career-best of four solos, Stillwell's athleticism makes him a vital asset to UCLA. And this dual nature enables Stillwell to help connect the dots and rally points for the Bruins. "There is not one that I think is stronger than the other," Stillwell said. "Sometimes the team needs me more for blocking and other times the team needs me more for hitting. Most of the time they would like me to do both, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. I wish it did, but it doesn't." For all that the junior quick hitter has accomplished in his collegiate volleyball career thus far, he still feels as though he is standing in the shallow end of his volleyball summation. After playing on the 1996 NCAA championship team, Stillwell still desires to add a jump serve and more hitting power to his game, but most of all, he wants to win the NCAA title. Stillwell's eyes lit up and his energetic athleticism was ignited when asked what his No. 1 goal is for 1997. "Just because I won the (1996) title doesn't mean that I don't want to win more," Stillwell said excitedly. "My goal is still to win two more titles, and if I don't, I'll be disappointed. I didn't come here to win one title. I came here to win four." The determination Stillwell brings to the Bruins en route to the Final Four marks the pride of the UCLA men's volleyball team. Pride which may just fly UCLA home with the 1997 NCAA crown. As Charles Caleb Colton once said, "The proud man places himself at a distance from other men; seen through that distance, others appear little to him." UCLA's pride makes them see other teams as trifling bodies, and the Bruins are ready to swallow them up in the Final Four. WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO/Daily Bruin Tom Stillwell led the nation in blocks per game, but his focus stays clearly on the national championship.

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