Friday, February 26, 1999
Cougars on the prowl for Bruins; key UCLA player out with
injury
M.VOLLEYBALL: Naeve out with sprained ankle; team to face No. 1
BYU
By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Contributor
The No. 2 men’s volleyball team has more to battle this weekend
than just No. 1 BYU, rowdy Cougar fans and a referee who happens to
give all the close games to the home team, according to UCLA coach
Al Scates, who says, "He’s a respectable bishop of the Mormon
church."
These aren’t the worst of the Bruins’ (11-3 overall, 9-2 MPSF)
problems – they also have to contend with two losses: an upset loss
to unranked UC Irvine, snapping an eight-game winning streak and
the loss of first team All-American and team leader quick hitter
Adam Naeve to a high ankle sprain.
"The other players will just have to play up and take up the
slack," Scates said. "Adam’s one of the dominating middle blockers
in the country. To lose him is to lose a lot."
Naeve landed hard on his ankle at the UCI match and will be out
for at least two weeks and five matches.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Before the UCI loss, this
weekend’s two games would have likely decided the Mountain Division
champions.
In place of Naeve, backups Seth Champi and Matt Grace will step
up. Wednesday’s starters quick hitter Danny Farmer and outside
hitter Fred Robins earned praise from Scates for their play, as
well as opposite Ed Ratledge, who came off the bench to replace
Evan Thatcher.
BYU coach Carl McGown has nothing but praise for the Bruins.
"To find out how good you are in basketball, you play Duke. In
men’s volleyball, you play UCLA. This match should let us know
where we are," said McGown.
BYU (11-0, 8-0) isn’t lacking either. They have eight returning
starters in a sport that only starts six people. This is possible
by starters who are returning after going on the mission required
by the Mormon church.
"They’re all solid players, but two are superstars," Scates
said, referring to opposite Ossie Antonetti and hitter Ryan
Millar.
Antonetti gets 5.6 kills a game and, though shorter than most
opposites at 6-foot-2, is deceptively fast. Millar, currently being
courted by the Olympic team, is an even more powerful middle
blocking force with 4.6 kills a game and 0.6 aces a game.
The last BYU advantage – though he doesn’t wear a number or show
up on the roster – is referee Tom Givens.
"He makes sure they win all the close games. Am I serious? Yes,"
Scates said. Givens is egged on by loyal BYU fans who broke the
men’s volleyball attendance record last week with 14,156, toppling
the previous record held by Hawaii at 10,225.
"Every time (Givens) makes a horrible call they applaud, yell
and scream. He thinks he’s doing a great job," Scates said.
Both Scates and McGown expect the Smith Fieldhouse, where the
teams will be playing, to fill to capacity. Though it only seats
about 3,000, at least 5,000 fans will show up.
Even when Givens is not the referee, just the linesman, he has
impact.
"He can actually screw you just as well from the linesman
position as from the referee. He calls the ticky-tack things that
no one ever calls, like an overlap or grazing the net after a
block." Scates said.
This will hurt a team that didn’t exactly enter Wednesday’s
match with a fighting mentality.
"After the match we talked about being ready to play. We can’t
be flat or we’ll get beat by just about everybody," Scates
said.
"I’m not gonna give the team pep talks. They have to be excited
about playing everytime on the floor. Only a couple of the players
were," he added of the UCI match.
In contrast the Cougars are riding their undefeated streak.
"We’ve had very good energy, good intensity for a number of
matches in a row," McGown said.
To this the Bruins must overcome their mentality and the loss of
Naeve, who has been a consistent force for the past three years, to
face their greatest challenge of the season.
Scates still believes in his team.
"This is the best opponent we’ve played yet, but we can beat
anybody anytime we play well," he said.
McGown’s prediction for the match’s outcome for pro-UCLA.
"I’m picking the Bruins to win. They’ve beaten us before and
they beat us all the time," he said.
But this statement was before Adam Naeve was injured.
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