NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Cameron Mount
goes for a dig during a game against
CSU Long Beach earlier this week.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL vs. Men’s
Volleyball Tonight 7 p.m. Pauley Pavillion
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA men’s volleyball team isn’t playing at the
level where it wants to be at this point in the season.
After dropping a winnable five-game decision Friday to No. 1 CSU
Long Beach, the No. 4 Bruins (4-3, 0-1 MPSF) look to take out their
frustrations on California Baptist (4-5) tonight in an exhibition
match at Pauley Pavilion.
“It will be a good test for us,” UCLA head coach Al
Scates said. “We have to pass consistently throughout the
match. Our passing broke down games four and five (against Long
Beach State).”
With senior outside hitter Mark Williams out for three to four
more weeks with an ankle injury, the Bruins will have to improve
their passing game to be a more effective hitting team.
“I think there’s a lot of improvement to go,”
said freshman libero Adam Shrader, who handles much of the passing
duties. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”
Passing isn’t the only thing the Bruins need to work on.
Defensively, the team is allowing balls to trickle through blocks
and drop in for kills.
“We’re going to be working a lot on our blocking and
defense,” said junior opposite hitter Ian Burnham.
“Once we do that, everything should come together.”
Cal Baptist certainly won’t be sitting around waiting for
the Bruins to get back on track.
“It’s not going to be an easy match,” Burnham
said. “We’re going to have to prepare for them, and
we’re definitely not looking past them.”
The Lancers are the top-ranked team in the National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics and traditionally play tough against
NCAA opponents.
Last year, they posted wins over NCAA powers USC and UC Santa
Barbara on their way to a runner-up finish in the NAIA national
championships.
The Lancers won the opening game of a four-game loss to the
Bruins Jan. 5 in the quarterfinals of a preseason tournament in
Santa Barbara. The following week, the Lancers gave Long Beach
State a scare before falling in five games.
The Bruins know that this match won’t count in the
standings, but they’re going to do everything they can to get
back to their winning ways.