By Pauline Vu Daily Bruin Senior Staff
MALIBU, Calif. ““ In a league title match with far more
than a mere league title riding on it, the No. 3 UCLA men’s
volleyball team scored a mini-upset over the No. 2 Pepperdine Waves
Saturday night to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
championship and, more importantly, earn the MPSF’s automatic berth
to the NCAA Final Four in Fort Wayne, Ind.
For the fourth-seeded Bruins (27-5), who beat second-seeded
Pepperdine (22-5) in four games, 6-15, 15-11, 15-4, 15-9,
Saturday’s match was a must-win, a last gasp at proving to the
world of college volleyball that the Bruins rightfully deserve to
play in the Final Four.
That still didn’t stop them, however, from opening the
championship match like they didn’t belong in it.
"We came out flat," UCLA opposite Ed Ratledge said.
"They came out on fire," UCLA outside hitter Mark Williams said
of the Waves.
Before a point was scored, Bruin senior setter Brandon
Taliaferro was given a yellow card when he thought he served an ace
and the referee called it out. Taliaferro raced under the net to
dispute the call and the head ref made him return to UCLA’s side of
the net and gave him the warning.
Pepperdine scored on the very next play, starting a 6-0 streak
for the Waves. Behind strong digging (19 digs to UCLA’s seven in
game one) and a "set ’em fast and smack ’em hard" style of play,
Pepperdine won the first game, 15-6.
But that all changed in game two, specifically when the Waves
earned the lead at 11-7. It was then that Bruin players came up
with big plays and more heart.
Just before serving, senior quick hitter Seth Burnham slammed
the ball in his fist and yelled at the team. Freshman middle Scott
Morrow hit a ball so hard that it slammed into the arms of Wave
setter Kurt Nelson and just sat there. Taliaferro served an ace to
tie the game. The Bruins then took the lead when, for UCLA’s 12th
point, Taliaferro managed a one-handed dig that barely went over
the net. The Waves were so surprised he got it at all that freshman
middle Brad Keenan passed the ball over to the ref’s stand.
"Everybody got fired up at the same time," Burnham said.
"Sometimes everybody would be quiet, and then somebody would start
yelling."
The big plays continued. In the third set Mark Williams had a
dominating solo block over Wave big gun Andre Breuer for UCLA’s
10th point. The Bruin junior, normally impassive during play, leapt
in the air, pumped his fist and let out a yell.
"I wanted to give our team a boost," Williams said. "So I
thought if I yelled loud, that would do it."
It worked. Breuer’s next shot was roofed by the net. Teammate
Scott Wong sent a ball out-of-bounds. UCLA’s Taliaferro won a joust
at the net with a back-handed push, and the last two Wave kill
attempts went long to give UCLA game three.
In the final game, the Bruins took a 12-7 lead when libero Matt
Davis dived to reach a ball that had hit a light fixture in the
gym’s low ceiling and was coming down fast. He dug it straight up
to set it for Matt Komer’s kill and the point.
It was this kind of play that won UCLA its 23rd conference
championship.
"I’m real proud of the team, beating Pepperdine in their gym
after being blown out 15-6 (in the first game)," UCLA head coach Al
Scates said. "It’s a tribute to the boys and their fighting
instinct."
The Bruins had two main things going for them: an unstoppable
block (21 blocks to the Waves’ 14), and strong serving that not
only got six aces, but also often disjointed the Pepperdine
passing.
But UCLA won simply because everyone was hot. Five Bruin hitters
hit double-digit kills for at least a .333 percentage.
Ratledge, who came off the bench to lead the team with 27 kills,
was extremely satisfied after the match. "It’s a great win for UCLA
volleyball," he said. "This whole playoff run has been great."
Pepperdine head coach Jeff Stork was still pleased with his
team, despite the loss. "We played with a lot of heart," he
said.
UCLA will now play in the NCAA semifinals against No. 15 Penn
State, the Eastern (EIVA) conference champions. The Waves, who got
the at-large berth, will face No. 4 Ohio State, the Midwestern
(MIVA) champion.
Everybody is already thinking about what’s upcoming in
Indiana.
"After a win like this, we just got to keep working," Seth
Burnham said. "This doesn’t mean anything until we win it all."
Wave junior Keith Barnett, whose team must beat Ohio State to
play the winner of the UCLA-Penn State game in the title match,
said, "Hopefully we’ll see the Bruins in Indiana."
Asked if he was excited about going to Indiana, team captain
Brandon Taliaferro gave his answer in an
"Are-you-really-asking-me-this?" tone.
"I’m going to the Final Four. I’ve got a chance to win the
national championship ““ of course I’m excited," he said with
a laugh.
That’s pretty obvious. After the match ended, the Bruins rushed
the court to celebrate and line up to shake hands with the
Pepperdine team.
But first, while the Waves waited, Taliaferro gathered the
Bruins in a circle and told the team just one thing: that they
still have two matches left.