Thursday, March 5, 1998
The late bloomer
VOLLEYBALL: New attitude makes all the difference for this
talented senior
By Grace Wen
Daily Bruin Staff
For Ben Moselle, it has never been a question of "can he do it?"
but a question of "will he do it?"
UCLA’s senior outside hitter has always had the athletic
ability, but finding the mental strength has been his greatest
challenge.
As a youngster, Moselle participated in many sports. His
physical talent was never in doubt, but his emotional state was
somewhat questionable.
"Ben had physical ability that exceeded his emotional capacity,"
said Moselle’s father Gary. "I can remember one time when he was
playing little league and he was 8 or 9 years old, and it was a
very pivotal game. He was a pitcher, and there were probably 100
people watching him, and for a 9-year-old it’s very difficult. He
was standing on the mound, and I realized that there were tears
rolling down his cheeks, and I couldn’t understand what was
wrong.
"The coach walked out to the mound and talked with Ben, and gave
him a little pat. When the coach came back to the dugout I said,
‘What’s wrong?’ And the coach said ‘Ben wants me to take him out.
He doesn’t want to do this anymore. He just wants to escape the
mound.’ But Ben completed the game and he did well. He lived up to
his own expectations, but he didn’t enjoy the pressure."
Although Moselle no longer plays baseball, his volleyball career
has taken a similar route.
A successful player in high school, the 6-foot-4-inch senior
from Encinitas came to UCLA as a recruited walk-on. He saw little
playing time his first two years, but with hard work and
perseverance, Moselle has become a starter for the team.
"He’s one of our most solid players," UCLA head coach Al Scates
said. "He’s hitting so much better than he was as a junior that we
need him in the lineup because he does a lot of little things. He
sets the off ball, he digs well, his serve can take a match over,
when his serve gets hot. So he’s a complete player, and he can play
left, right, or opposite. He’s very versatile."
However, it wasn’t always that way. In his first two years,
Moselle suited up for just seven matches and received playing time
in two.
The redshirt freshman spent most of the time playing with the
third team behind the infamous "blue wall".
According to Scates, Moselle would work his way up to the second
team and practice well, but before he would get the chance to play,
he would falter.
"Some people adapt right away," Moselle said. "It took me at
least my first two years to really get into the mental part to
where I could go out there and play and have fun and compete and
not just go out there and try to perform for the coach or for
myself."
His inability to perform consistently contributed to the ups and
downs he suffered during those first few years. The frustration he
felt raised doubts as to whether or not he should continue with the
program.
"There were many times during his first and second years when he
wondered if he would ever get a chance to play," Gary Moselle said.
"He was concerned that he would maybe go all the way through and
play five years and never get the court time.
"He was very frustrated. Many times, he would call and say ‘I
really don’t know what I should do. I’m just not living up to my
own expectations.’
"I told him that it’s better for him if he sticks it out. I hate
to see him start something and give 100 percent and accept failure.
I wanted him to do his very best, and as long as he loved, enjoyed
it, wanted to do it, I wanted him to stick to it, but if it became
a burden when he hated it that was the end. He shouldn’t go any
further."
Fortunately, Moselle did stick it out, and he had a breakthrough
year in 1996. He began the year like previous years with little
playing time. In fact, he was not suiting up for most matches.
However, as the season progressed Moselle gained momentum and
actually found time on the court, subbing in for Paul Nihipali. The
playing time boosted his confidence, and Moselle would later play a
key role in the championship run.
In the MPSF finals, Moselle replaced a struggling Matt Taylor.
The Bruins went on to defeat Santa Barbara in a tight, five-game
match to earn a berth to the Final Four.
"It was exciting," Moselle said. "I was nervous but Coach had
faith in me. I needed to perform; some of the guys were injured in
my spot so I was able to step up, and we won the match in five.
"It was real close, but it was a real character builder and then
I started in the semifinals when we played here in Pauley against
Lewis. And we won in three and then my job was done. I really felt
like I had something to do with the whole championship team, and I
was proud.
"I felt like part of the team for the first time. I could really
contribute. So yeah, that was amazing, and at that point, after
winning a championship, I knew that I was satisfied for the moment
at least."
Despite finding success late in the season, it was short-lived.
After the championship, minor back injuries sidelined him during
the summer, so Moselle began fall into practice out of shape. He
found himself in a very familiar position as January came around
and the season got under way.
But the fact that he had been through the process of not suiting
up and not playing before helped him to earn a starting spot a
month later.
The Bruins would try a number of different players at the
outside hitting spot before Scates settled on Moselle.
The stability that Moselle brought to the team would help the
Bruins go on an 18-match win streak, falling just a bit short of
winning the national championship.
Unlike the previous years, Moselle began the 1998 season in good
shape. He spent the summer playing volleyball and jump
training.
By the time fall practice started, Moselle had added 20 pounds
to his frame. The hard work over the summer has paid off since he
has become the Bruins’ most versatile starter.
His ability to play two different positions has given the Bruins
much flexibility in the lineup as Moselle has played both opposite
and outside this season.
"Ben’s in a tough position ’cause he has to play more than one
position," UCLA senior captain Tom Stillwell said. "If he is
playing opposite for a couple weeks and he goes back to outside, it
takes him a couple days to adjust, but he’s such a good athlete;
once he adjusts he’s fine.
"He’s got real good strength and a lot of jumping ability.
Putting that together and all the experience on his fifth year,
he’s a great player out there. He’s a major asset in our
winning."
While Moselle has relied on his physical strength throughout
much of his career, it is the development of a positive mental
attitude over the last four years that has answered the question.
Will he do it? The answer, as many opponents have seen is, yes, he
will!
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Ben Moselle has worked hard to combat the emotional challenges
of volleyball competition.