Monday, November 30, 1998
Fourth element adds fire to trio, power to team
W.VOLLEYBALL: Complementing power players, Nihipali serves up
plays, enthusiasm to succeed
By Nick Taylor
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA’s volleyball team has won 11 of its last 13 matches behind
a powerful offense.
Ashley Bowles, Kristee Porter and Elisabeth Bachman have all won
player of the week awards for their offensive exploits.
And, as the NCAA tournament approaches and UCLA gears up for an
at large bid, all seems to be going the Bruins’ way.
The Bruins need someone to complement the big three, however, if
they want to go far in the tournament. For this reason, sophomore
Amy Nihipali might be the x-factor for UCLA in the tournament.
The matches against Cal and Stanford last weekend provide a
perfect example of Nihipali’s importance. Against Stanford, UCLA’s
top trio carried the team to five games, but they wore down because
they didn’t get the help they required on the attack. Nihipali, who
needed to step up her play, had only four kills and four blocks.
She also had four errors, hitting .000 in the match.
"I felt I wasn’t contributing much for the team, on the whole,"
Nihipali said. "Stanford had a great defense that night."
Nihipali took it upon herself to bounce back against Cal, and
she did, in a big way. She had 12 kills and led the team in hitting
at .400. Nihipali took over in the third game with six kills and
helped reverse UCLA’s lethargic play in the second game.
"Amy really put up some numbers," head coach Andy Banachowski
said.
When Nihipali can step up her play, the Bruins can beat the
great teams. If she can’t, they struggle. Is Nihipali up to the
task? Just ask her.
"We are not scared to lose," Nihipali said.
Nihipali’s attitude and her inspirational team messages show her
enthusiasm and determination. She will not let the team quit and
feels a duty to keep its spirits high.
Nihipali earned this leadership role with a strong freshman
campaign last year. It took her half a season, she said, to get
adjusted to a different style of play.
Her club team in high school played a more restricted style of
volleyball, and UCLA wanted Nihipali to play more athletically. She
filled in for an injured Bachman at blocker, and made the Pac-10
freshman team.
Then, during the spring workouts, she really picked up her
game.
"She made a huge leap because of her work in the spring,"
Banachowski said. "All of her skills have improved."
Nihipali also took it upon herself to be the social magnet in
the Bruins’ locker room. At the start of the year, she took the
responsibility of taking in the Bruin freshmen and making them feel
at home.
"I wanted to make them feel comfortable," she said, "to make
them feel part of the team."
Nihipali has helped build a close-knit group of teammates. She
knew a few of the incoming freshmen because she was their host for
recruitment visits, and she was excited about all the new faces
coming to Westwood.
"Practices are so much fun," she exclaims. "(The freshmen) are
so easy to get along with."
Their closeness and camaraderie have played a part in their
success this season. Though the Bruins struggled early in the year,
they have picked up confidence and are now steamrolling the
competition.
"We’re playing like we’re older," Nihipali said, "We’ve
definitely proven that we belong here (at the top)."
To stay at the top, however, the Bruins must find a fourth
offensive threat. As Banachowski said, "We are not diversified
enough offensively."
Nihipali must be that threat; she is the Bruins’ second middle
blocker – along with Bachman – in the eight player rotation. She
comes in three to four times a game and will remain on the floor
for extended periods of time if a game goes longer than expected.
Nihipali, then, must pick up the slack on offense when Bachman is
not on the floor.
"She can fill that role (on offense)," Banachowski said, "and
she has the attributes."
Nihipali has spent the year on offense adjusting to a new
setter, Erika Selsor. While Selsor has worked well with Bachman,
Bachman hits a different type of set than Nihipali does, so it has
taken longer for Nihipali and Selsor to click.
Against the Washington schools, however, Nihipali and Selsor
were on the same page. Nihipali had eight kills at Washington
State, and against Washington she had 11 kills, hit .421 and had
seven blocks.
"It’s just clicking (with Erika)," Nihipali said. "Our timing
has gotten better."
Nihipali is so quick on the floor that Selsor had to get
adjusted to her speed. She and Selsor usually run a quick play,
where Nihipali hits a lower ball over the net, and she has also
opened up her skills on offense.
"She’s hitting the second tempo ball (a higher set) a lot
better," said Banachowski.
Because Nihipali’s skills have improved, they have confidence to
go to her in the clutch.
Nihipali has also become a force on defense. As middle blocker,
her goal is to block the ball. If she cannot do that, she tries to
deflect it as much as possible.
"I try to get as many touches as I can," Nihipali said.
She is also the Bruins’ best defender in terms of moving
laterally on the floor. This allows her to close the space between
her and the outside blocker quickly.
"I can do lateral movement well, and if I can close the block,
then I’ve hit my goal," Nihipali said
When she closes the hitting alley, defensive specialists
Michelle Quon and Mandi Lawson can cover the crosscourt. Case in
point: Jennifer Kessy, in the second UCLA-USC matchup, hit only
.115 against the Bruins.
The Bruin defense as a team has gotten better as well, and
Nihipali attributes this to the touches the Bruins get on
defense.
"Everyone scrambles more, so the rallies have gotten
longer."
While the season has gone by quickly, Nihipali looked back with
some nostalgia.
"I’m sad the season is at a close," she said. "We’ve really put
ourselves on the map."
If UCLA wants to reach the next level, Nihipali must be more
involved in the offense. As Nihipali goes, so do the Bruins’
chances.
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