EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Sophomore middle blocker Chris Peña spikes the ball over a BYU defender earlier this season. The Bruins take on UCSB tonight.
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team travels to UC Santa Barbara tonight to play in front of a tough crowd.
“They got a small gym and one of the loudest crowds in college volleyball,” senior outside hitter Matt Komer said. “We just need to stay focused and keep playing the way we should be playing.”
The No. 6 Gauchos boast a 7-0 record at home, but UCLA head coach Al Scates isn’t really big on numbers.
“Well, good for them,” Scates said. “We do pretty well on the road. We play well wherever we go.”
The Bruins (15-3, 10-2 MPSF) are already 5-1 on the road, so Scates is more worried about the UCSB attack. The Gauchos currently lead the conference with a .370 hitting percentage.
The Bruins held UCSB to a .260 clip and shut down kill leader Ben Koski on their way to a four-game victory Feb. 19.
However, the Gauchos showed that they could hang with the Bruins.
“They pass and serve well, so we’re going to have our hands full,” Scates said.
Freshman middle blocker Paul Johnson is also out of action after a motorcycle accident landed him in the emergency room and left his knees swollen. Johnson came off the bench in the last match against UCSB to tally nine kills. With him injured, the starters will have to step up.