No. 1 Bruins to face No. 2 Lions at State Farm
Classic
A sense of déjà vu will hover around the net this
weekend as the UCLA women’s volleyball team, slated by both
the AVCA/USA Today and Volleyball Magazine polls as the preseason
No. 1 team, will take on the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions Friday
in Gainesville, Florida. The Bruins’ opening game on the 2000
schedule at the State Farm NACWAA Classic is a rematch of last
year’s NCAA Tournament Central Regional final, in which UCLA
fell in three games 15-11, 15-9, 15-5 on Dec. 10. Friday’s
showdown is the first of 12 matches for the Bruins against a Top 25
team. Head coach Andy Banachowski’s squad received 23 first
places votes and 1399 points overall in the AVCA/USA Today poll
after finishing No.7 in last season’s final rankings. The
Bruins return five starters, including perennial national player of
the year candidate and 1999 All-American Kristee Porter. Last
season the junior outside hitter became the second-fastest player
to reach 1,000 kills in the history of the NCAA. She currently has
1,198 career kills. Senior middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman returns
to Westwood for her final season and will patrol the net for the
Bruins. The 1999 All-District player led the Pac-10 in attack
percentage last season and was runner-up in the same category in
the NCAA rankings. Other starters returning to this year’s
lineup include junior setter Erika Selsor, junior opposite hitter
Ashley Bowles, and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Fendrick. The
Bruins will also look to senior defensive specialist Michelle Quon
to help them hold off a potent Penn State offensive attack. UCLA
will follow the Penn State game at the NACWAA Classic with matches
against No. 9 Florida and No. 13 Colorado State. The games will
test the state of the team early and gauge the accuracy of UCLA
receiving the preseason gift of the nation’s top ranking.
Notes compiled by AJ Cadman, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.