By Daniel Miller
Daily Bruin Contributor
It is what the No. 1 ranked men’s volleyball team
didn’t say about its opponent that was most revealing about
the Bruins’ opinion of UC San Diego’s team.
“They are a scrappy team,” assistant coach John
Speraw said.
“It’s a big match for them ““ they
scrap,” junior setter Rich Nelson said.
“Every time we play them, they play hard,” senior
outside hitter Matt Komer said.
When the Bruins (5-1) take the court at 7 p.m. Saturday at the
John Wooden Center, they will face a Triton team (0-3, 0-2 MPSF)
that they have gone to great lengths to speak kindly of.
“They didn’t win a league match last year,”
Speraw said. “However, they do play tough, and they work hard
despite their small size.”
Sophomore outside hitter Jim Waller leads UC San Diego with 4.7
kills per game. Speraw said senior setter Jordan Hove and sophomore
middle blocker Brian Foott are two Tritons UCLA will have to shut
down.
Despite a nagging thumb injury, junior quick hitter Scott Morrow
will play against the Tritons, as will Komer and freshman outside
hitter Jonathan Acosta, who have a shoulder injury and a stomach
pull, respectively.
Freshman outside hitter David Russell has recovered completely
from a sprained ankle according to Speraw, while sophomore outside
hitter Jesse Debban will need another week to recover from a knee
injury before he returns to play.
After being named the Most Valuable Player in the Outrigger
Hotels Invitational and the AVCA National Player of the Week last
week, Acosta picked up two more accolades this week when he was
named the MPSF and UCLA Athletics Player of the Week.
With an emerging star and a No. 1 ranking, one wonders whether
the Bruins are looking past their match with the Tritons.
“They always take a game off of us ““ always,”
Speraw said.
With that attitude it’s clear that UCLA is taking every
opponent seriously ““ even the Tritons.
The Bruins will also play Long Beach State tonight at the
Pyramid.