It will be bittersweet for the UCLA women’s volleyball team when it takes the floor tonight.
The Bruins will play their last game in the John Wooden Center as they take on California (14-12, 8-8 Pac-12).
Friday, the team is slated to move into the newly-renovated Pauley Pavilion and play its first game at the venue against No. 1 Stanford.
“It’s exciting but also kind of sad. Kind of bittersweet I would say. I love Collins Court just because it’s a great atmosphere,” said junior outside hitter Kelly Reeves. “The fans are right there, the students are right there and it’s really nice to have their support.”
With its high school gym-like size and near maximum-capacity crowds, Collins Court has provided an electric atmosphere unlike any other.
At times, it can get so loud, fans can feel the floor shaking.
Behind these raucous home-court crowds, the No. 5 Bruins (20-5, 12-4) are 20-2 at home the last two seasons.
While senior libero Bojana Todorovic shared Reeves’ sentiments, she focused on how everyone would benefit from the move to Pauley.
“Now everyone has a chance to go whereas (before at Collins Court) students would have to line up outside, wait for an hour and not even be able to get in. This way everybody gets to watch the game and we get a big crowd,” Todorovic said.
In Wooden, the team had to share lockers with gymnastics players and play on courts that took the brunt of wear and tear from recreational basketball use, so the move will bring about a much-needed facility upgrade for the team.
Coach Michael Sealy, though, is focusing more on how the team plays rather than where they play.
“It’s more important about what happens in the building as opposed to the building itself. So I’m focused on the (matches themselves) and I’m not getting too distracted with the bells and whistles,” Sealy said.
Those distractions haven’t caught up with Reeves, as she glowed with the excitement while discussing her team’s goals for tonight.
“We just got to go down fighting and prove to them right away, from point one, “˜We are the Bruins,’ and we are here to dominate. This weekend is a big weekend for us,” Reeves said.