Wednesday, February 3, 1999
Unranked Matadors set for running of the Bruins
PREVIEW: Team expects little resistance, focuses on improving
record
By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Contributor
Cal State Northridge coach Jeff Campbell obviously possesses a
fine sense of humor.
Asked how he figured his team would fare against the Bruins in
tonight’s Pauley Pavilion contest, Campbell didn’t even hesitate
before replying, "I think we’re going to crush them, three –
nothing."
He allowed a weighty pause to pass before chuckling lightly and
adding: "No, UCLA’s a good team. I think the Bruins are in top form
right now," Campbell said.
If his first statement, coming from the coach of an unranked
team which hasn’t beaten the Bruins in six years and 14 matches,
sounded a bit strange, then his last statement might be considered
a tad generous.
The UCLA men’s volleyball team (4-2 overall, 2-1 MPSF), after a
loss to Pepperdine and a frighteningly close win over Loyola
Marymount, have fallen from No. 1 in the rankings to No. 4, behind
Lewis, Pepperdine and BYU, respectively.
"We deserve to drop. We don’t care about the rankings until May,
when we like to peak. We’ll get back up there sometime during the
season," Coach Al Scates said confidently.
Scates is not particularly worried about the Matadors either,
who the Bruins played at the Santa Barbara Tournament in scrimmage
games.
"We won easily in the first game. In the second I pulled Adam
Naeve out and it was close, but we won," Scates said.
If all goes according to plan, the Bruins should quickly defeat
the much weaker Matadors (1-2, 1-1). UCLA shouldn’t have the same
problem blocking with CSU Northridge as they did with LMU. In that
game the Bruins blocked spectacularly in the first two games for an
eventual 27 total team blocks, but couldn’t maintain their
momentum, falling in games three and four.
Hopefully against CSU Northridge the Bruins won’t have to even
play a game four or five.
According to Scates one key to beating Northridge will be
hitting hard.
"When they start digging our hitters, then we make a lot of
errors," he said.
The Matadors are in the midst of a rebuilding season. In June
1997, their men’s volleyball program was canceled. Community outcry
caused the program to be reinstated just three months later;
however, by then many of the players transferred to other schools
and it was too late to recruit for the 1998 season.
"Last year our team was basically whoever was at the university.
We had lots of walk-ons," Campbell said.
One player who stuck with the program, outside hitter Chad
Strickland, led the Matadors to only a 6-13 finish, but garnered
All-American honors in the process and emerged as the team leader.
CSU Northridge lost him, however, to graduation after the 1998
season.
"Our biggest weakness is experience. We have a lot of new people
this year," Campbell said.
For the Matadors, both outside hitters, true freshman J.P.
Jandreau and junior Junior Mosones, are new. In fact, Mosones is a
switch from the opposite position.
Tonight’s setter will likely be backup Greg Logan, a junior
college transfer, as starter John Baxter is out with pneumonia.
Both starting middle blockers, Brian Hughlett and junior Adam
Black are also junior college transfers.
One player who the Bruins will especially be on the lookout for
is true freshman opposite Eckhard Walter, a recruit who played on
the German Junior National Team from 1992 to 1998.
"We’ll be trying to stop him. He’s a very good passer and
hitter," Scates said.
But most likely even Walter won’t be enough to "crush" the
Bruins.CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin
Adam Naeve puts a kill up against Robert Schildts of Loyola
Marymount during their match on Saturday.
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