Unstable volleyball team wants win over UCI

Regina Yeh
Published: Friday, March 7, 2003

This week, to the Bruins’ dismay, has been full of surprises.

Wednesday’s unexpected loss against Lewis, coupled with the possibility of sophomore setter Jimmy Sepulveda quitting the team mid-season, signified a halt to UCLA’s improvement in conference play.

And to continue the trend of facing the unexpected, the No. 9 Bruins (11-9, 7-7 MPSF) will be matched against No. 4 UCI (15-5, 8-5 MPSF), which has been a surprise in the MPSF conference with its school-record 15 wins this season under first-year head coach John Speraw.

“We just want to get our respect back,” UCLA redshirt freshman setter Dennis Gonzalez said.

The Bruins will travel to Crawford Hall on the UCI campus to compete against the Anteaters. Having dropped a five-game loss to UCI on Jan. 17, UCLA aims at reclaiming a win.

“We’re now playing to win (against UCI), and not playing for experience as we had in the last game,” head coach Al Scates said.

With this resolution, the Bruin starting roster may undergo some changes.

Gonzalez and senior captain Rich Nelson saw equal playing time in the Lewis match. Who will fill the starting setter position tonight remains a mystery.

“Both of them could play in the setter position,” Scates said. “We’ll just have to see.”

At outside hitter, redshirt junior Jesse Debbon and redshirt freshman Brennan Prahler excelled against Lewis, and may both see more playing time tonight.

The Bruins also anticipate working on blocking and defensive play, which has been a consistent weakness for the team.

The changes made within the team haven’t settled so easily for the Bruins. While Gonzalez’s role may challenge Nelson’s position on Friday, team members also feel slightly shaken.

“It’s definitely a change,” senior quick hitter Scott Morrow said. “We need time to get used to it.”

At least a few things have remained consistent.

“Looking at the statistics of the games, everything (between UCLA and UCI) is very similar,” Scates said. “They’ll have a slight advantage of playing at home, but we’ve had some wins in their gym.”

Outside hitter Gray Garrett shares the sentiment.

“We’re all looking forward to this match. We’re confident. We want to win,” he said.