Senior outside hitter Mark Williams
prepares to bump the ball in a match against Santa Cruz. The Bruins
will play in tonight’s match up with Stanford in the 24th annual
Kilgour Cup.
By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Kirk Kilgour hasn’t played in Pauley Pavilion for thirty
years now, but he’ll be the focus of tonight’s match
between No. 2 UCLA and No. 7 Stanford.
A former All-American, Kilgour (1969-71) won two national
men’s volleyball championships while at UCLA and was named
the NCAA MVP in 1971. A national team member, Kilgour was also the
first American to play in the prestigious Italian professional
league, the premier pro volleyball league in the world.
Injured while training in Italy, Kilgour has been a quadriplegic
since 1976. The 24th annual Kilgour Cup, the oldest men’s
volleyball benefit match, is played in his honor.
“It’s a special game because he’s one of the
greatest players to ever play,” senior middle blocker Adam
Naeve said.
With the money from ticket sales going to Kilgour, choosing an
opponent is a weighty task.
“I want it to be (a team) that will draw a large crowd and
be a very competitive team,” Head Coach Al Scates said.
This year, the Stanford Cardinal fit the criteria.
“They’re going to be up for Stanford,” Scates
said. “They’re a playoff team, someone we’ll see
again when league play is over.”
Much of Stanford’s current and future success depends on
sophomore outside hitter Curt Toppel. Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation Freshman of the Year last season, Toppel leads the
nation with 8.65 kills per game and earned 2000 All-American
honors.
While most hitters find it difficult to put away five kills a
game with rally scoring, Topple averages 5.4, the third best in the
country.
“He makes them good,” UCLA assistant coach John
Speraw said. “They have experienced setting and passing and a
great player in Toppel.”
Recently, the Bruins have had trouble with their
opponent’s right side hitter. Losses against Long Beach State
and BYU were helped along by right side hitters Dave McKienzie and
Mike Wall, respectively.
The stumbling block has less to do with UCLA’s ability as
it does with the fact that most of the best hitters in the country
hit from that position.
Fortunately, UCLA seems to be on an upswing, effectively
shutting down USC’s right side hitter junior Brook Billings
in a three-game sweep last night.
“‘SC was definitely a confidence booster,”
Naeve said. “I think that was an example of how well we can
play.”
The Bruins are one game behind No. 1 BYU and have to win every
game to earn the right to host the conference playoffs and stay out
of Utah, where the high altitude affected their serving.
But the match is about more than MPSF standings and playoff
advantage.
“Because all the players are very aware of who Kurt
Kilgour was as a player and as a man, it makes (them) focus on the
match,” Speraw said.
Though Kilgour has traditionally been in attendance for the
match, he is scheduled for surgery and won’t make it this
year. But the team won’t forget who and what they’re
playing for.
“We usually get more fans so it fires us up more,”
sophomore setter Rich Nelson said. “I think it’s great.
We should have more games where money goes to charity.”