By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
For Santa Cruz native Ian Burnham, the men’s volleyball
match against UC Santa Cruz will be a reunion. As the Banana Slugs
travel to Westwood Friday, so will Burham’s best friend, Dan
Turner, starting libero for UCSC.
Burnham and Turner met sophomore year at Harbor High where they
both played volleyball. They’ve been best friends ever
since.
And last year, when the NCAA introduced the libero, a new
defensive position used in international volleyball, Turner gave it
a try.
“I always wanted him to try out somewhere because
he’s a really good, just a short guy,” Burnham said.
“So when the libero position opened up I said “˜Damn,
that’s perfect for him.'”
On Friday, the two friends will meet on the court for the second
time this season. Their first meeting was at the January
UCSB/Elephant Bar and Grill Tournament where UCLA (10-4, 5-3 MPSF)
defeated UCSC 3-0. With that in mind, Burnham doesn’t
anticipate too much competition.
“I don’t think he gets too fired up about it because
it’s UCLA versus Santa Cruz. It’s not like he comes out
here to beat us,” Burnham said.
But the mismatch of the teams does not take away from the fun of
it all.
“Dan’s a cool guy,” Burnham said.
“He’ll just be out there joking.”
Aside from the friendly competition, the weekend does hold some
significance for the Bruins’ chances at another NCAA
title.
“It’s probably good to play these schools that
aren’t so great because we know what we need to work on and
these matches can be used for preparation for big matches next
week,” said senior Mark Williams.
The Bruins will also face UC San Diego (2-11, 0-9) on Saturday
at 7 p.m. in the Wooden Center.