Sophomore outside hitter Gonzalo Quiroga (pictured) and senior opposite Nick Vogel led the Bruins with seven kills and 10 points apiece in UCLA’s four-set loss to UC Irvine.
Standing outside the locker room following the UCLA men’s volleyball’s season-ending loss, senior setter Kyle Caldwell, a captain and an emotional rock throughout the season, looked broken. He covered his face as he rested his forehead against the wall, then finally turned and spoke quietly, his voice betraying his battered emotional state.
“It’s tough. We put our heart and soul into the season. Not just for us, but for coach (Al) Scates, and for us to go out like that against a good team like this, it’s hard to swallow right now,” Caldwell said.
UCLA fell to No. 2 UC Irvine (22-5, 17-5 MPSF) 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament, battling not only a tough opponent, but also their own energy levels.
“It’s tough because any given night any team can take an emotional day off and tonight that was us,” senior opposite Nick Vogel said.
That’s not to say the Bruins (22-8, 16-6) didn’t give their best effort, but their concentration and drive was inconsistent throughout the match, as they gave away many points in the form of service errors and missed some easy kills.
“We fought. It wasn’t our best match, but we played well and that’s all we can expect. We fought and clawed against a great team that we played,” Caldwell said.
The loss was especially hard on No. 5 UCLA not just because it killed their national championship dreams, but also because it was the final game for both the seniors and Scates, who will retire now that the season is done.
“It’s definitely one of the toughest losses,” Caldwell said. “We invested more in this season than we have in the past, and there’s a lot of seniors. It’s just hard.”
Scates, on the other hand, seemed at peace with his career coming to a close and repeatedly mentioned his pride in his team’s growth throughout the season, despite the disappointing ending. “I’m upset with the loss, of course. I’m calm, but I’m upset with the loss. This team had a chance. Came close to their potential. Came close,” Scates said. With Scates’ 50-year career ending and nearly the whole starting lineup graduating, “˜there’s always next year’ no longer applies.
Understanding the finality of the moment, Caldwell’s misty eyes gazing into the distance and Vogel’s somber scowl feel less out of place. They’ve run out of second chances.