MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Junior Matt
Komer passes the ball as his teammates look on during a
game against UC Irvine last week. The Bruins cleaned up the
competition at the Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Hawaii this
weekend, winning the tournament for the fourth straight time.
UCLA d. Hawaii 31-29, 20-30, 30-27 42-44, 15-9
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Contributor
If the UCLA men’s volleyball team was out of shape, it
certainly didn’t show.
After suffering the effects of the flu last week, the No. 5
Bruins won three grueling five-game matches on consecutive nights,
culminating in a victory over host Hawai’i Friday in a
heart-stopper at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Bruins emerged as
tournament champions in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational for the
fourth straight year.
“It’s the perfect ending to the way we played in the
tournament,” said senior quick hitter Adam Naeve.
The Bruins (4-2) defeated Laval University, Penn State, and
Hawai’i despite playing without senior outside hitter Mark
Williams. Williams suffered a high ankle sprain during warmups
before the Laval match and could be out for four to six weeks.
“Once he gets back, we’re going to be stronger than
ever before because it has given us a chance to improve our
depth,” said head coach Al Scates.
It was the Bruin depth that contributed to the 33-31, 30-23,
22-30, 24-30, 18-16 exhibition win over Laval (20-5) Wednesday.
After the starters had taken the first two games, the members of
the second-team managed to hold off the Rouge et Or in the fifth
game.
Junior outside hitter Matt Komer led the way for the Bruins with
18 kills, five digs, and three blocks. While taking the spot of the
injured Williams, Komer earned All-Tournament team honors.
“Komer came through pretty well,” Scates said.
“He’s turning into a great all-around
player.”
The Bruins escaped with a 30-27, 30-28, 24-30, 19-30, 15-5
victory the following night over No. 9 Penn State (1-2).
Junior outside hitter Ian Burnham, making his first career start
because of Williams’ absence, notched a team-high 17 kills in
the game to go along with six digs, three blocks, and two aces.
But without Williams, the Bruin passing game struggled.
The Nittany Lions came back from a 2-0 deficit to give UCLA a
scare and out-hit the Bruins .301 to .281 in the match.
“I really felt like we were emotionally flat even though
we were winning,” said UCLA assistant coach John Speraw after
the match. “Sure enough, (Penn State) came back and played
great the next couple games.”
In the fifth game, Naeve crushed any hopes the Nittany Lions had
for a comeback. He took over the match with clutch hitting and
blocking to seal the victory and set up a showdown for the title
against Hawai’i.
But Naeve didn’t stop there. Against Hawai’i, he had
17 kills, five digs, four blocks, and two aces, leading the Bruins
to a 31-29, 20-30,
30-27, 42-44, 15-9 win over the
No. 6 Warriors (3-1).
His performance also secured him a spot on the All-Tournament
team.
The fourth game in the Hawai’i match was one to remember.
With the Bruins leading 2-1 in the match and trailing 29-25 in the
game, it looked like the Warriors would cruise into the fifth
game.
That’s when the fun began.
The Bruins ran off four straight points behind the serve of
sophomore outside hitter Cameron Mount to tie the score. The two
teams then went back and forth, engaging in exciting rallies, while
the Warriors staved off eight match points and spoiled nine game
points before finally winning the game 44-42 on a fluke service ace
that hit the top of the net and fell inbounds, sending the match
into the deciding fifth game.
“We were all in a daze from that game,” Naeve
said.
“Most teams would have had a tremendous letdown in that
situation,” Scates said. “Our team has the ability to
serve tough and block well in the fifth.”
UCLA proved to be too much for Hawai’i in the final game.
The Bruins hit .471, and Naeve came up big with five kills in the
game to wrap up the title.
Despite out-hitting the Bruins .295-.241 and having five players
with double-digit kills, including 22 kills from sophomore outside
hitter and tournament MVP Costas Theocharidis, the Warriors had 26
costly service errors and lost their fourth straight match to the
Bruins.
The Hawai’i win gave Scates his 999th career victory. The
way the Bruins are playing, he won’t have to wait long for
his 1,000th.