Friday, February 19, 1999
Bruins shut down CSUN hitting
RECAP: Thrashing of CSUN caps off seven game winning streak; No.
2 UCLA will face No. 15 Gauchos
By Nick Taylor and Stephanie Lawrence
Daily Bruin Contributors
Cal State Northridge had a dream that it would beat UCLA on
Wednesday. Instead, that dream turned into a nightmare.
Using a triple-headed offensive attack, ranked second in the
nation in hitting at .379, the No. 2 UCLA Bruins dominated from
start to finish, beating the Matadors in three games 15-2, 15-6,
15-3.
Stand out sophomore Mark Williams hit .571 with 13 kills and
only one error. He also led the team with five block assists.
Danny Farmer and Adam Naeve both lit up the court in the middle.
Farmer notched 10 kills and led the team in hitting at .643. Naeve
led the team with 15 kills, 10 digs and added four block assists as
UCLA thoroughly overwhelmed Northridge in the middle.
UCLA held Northridge to a .025 hitting percentage throughout the
match, and held its best hitter, Eckhard Walter, to eight kills and
a negative hitting percentage (-.038).
In winning its seventh straight match, UCLA displayed superior
defense and bench play.
The team got off to a strong start defensively, holding the
Matadors to hitting percentages of .040 and -.261 during the first
two games. UCLA, in fact, forced more errors than kills until the
third game.
The Bruins continued to excel with their reserves in the game.
Fred Robbins and Ed Ratledge came into the match and didn’t miss a
beat. Robbins had five kills and Ratledge added four, each in one
game of action.
UCLA is playing at the top of its game and has swept its last
four matches. Its starters have played superbly as of late, while
the second team is proving it can beat the opposition’s
starters.
UCLA now focuses its attention on UCSB for Friday’s match in
Santa Barbara. The No. 15 Gauchos (4-5, 3-5 Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation) overcame a first game shutout to roar back and take the
last three games against UC Irvine 15-7, 15-12, 15-9 to win the
match.
Santa Barbara is led by quick hitter Kevin Collins, who had 32
kills against Irvine, and is second in the nation in kills with
7.48 kills per game.
Not lost in Collins’ presence are hitters Wes Badorek and David
Kohl. Badorek is No. 8 in the nation in hitting (.459). Both he and
Kohl average three kills per game.
On defense, the Gauchos are led by standout hitter Rick Rauth.
He is third in the nation in digs (2.62) and is coming off a
spectacular performance against Irvine when he had 18 kills, 15
digs and five blocks. UCLA must neutralize Rauth if it hopes to
win.
UCLA, however, is on a tear and has already defeated Santa
Barbara this season, sweeping the Gauchos in three games 15-2,
15-6, 15-11. On Friday, UCLA will try to improve on its earlier
victory. As Williams said about last year’s team, "We always seem
to get better as the year goes on."
The same holds true for the Bruins this year. They are streaking
as the season goes on, and they are beginning to dominate
teams.
For Northridge on Wednesday, the Bruins turned out the lights on
the Matadors’ dreams. For Friday’s match, someone had better tell
Santa Barbara not to dream or sleep too easily.GENEVIEVE
LIANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Outside hitter Matt Davis bumps a pass in a game against Loyola
Marymount.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]