Despite the challenges that come with playing collegiate sports during a pandemic, No. 19 UCLA women’s volleyball (2-0) has found ways to make the most of its situation.
This year, all Pac-12 volleyball teams will see a 22-game conference-only schedule, divided up into back-to-back weekend series against the same opponent and at the same location to reduce travel. For schools with geographically close rivalries, such as UCLA and USC, both teams will get to match up in a home and away series.
For the Bruins, this unorthodox schedule means the team will have to face off against each of its Pac-12 foes twice this year to make its bid for the NCAA tournament, instead of an occasional lone matchup per season against certain teams.
This includes six total games against three nationally ranked AVCA opponents in No. 3 Stanford, No. 8 Utah and No. 11 Washington. Nonetheless, a new addition to the team said UCLA sees this schedule as a blessing in disguise.
“I actually personally really like that we get to play the same team in the same weekend,” said junior transfer and defensive specialist/libero Zoe Fleck. “It really allows us to make those adjustments.”
Those adjustments were apparent for UCLA as it went undefeated in its home doubleheader against California over the weekend, sweeping the Golden Bears in the second match of the season after dropping a single set in its opener.
“When you have that day between the next game, you get to know their hitting tendencies, where we’re supposed to block and how we’re supposed to adjust to them,” said freshman outside/opposite hitter Iman Ndiaye.
Over the doubleheader, UCLA was able to improve on the defensive end, limiting California to a 0.151 attack percentage Sunday, compared to 0.220 in the game prior. Ndiaye contributed 11 total blocks across the two games, and Fleck had 26 total digs.
“I think our serve-receive and blocking went really well,” Ndiaye said.
In his 11th season, coach Michael Sealy emphasized the importance of preparation for the team as it looks on to the rest of its doubleheader-filled season.
“It’s good for our team to get an opportunity to see a real scouting report and try to execute it,” Sealy said. “I thought we contained their hitters a lot better because we can kind of see what they wanted to do.”
In addition to adjusting to a new schedule, the Bruins also had to work with one key difference: no fans in attendance at Pauley Pavilion. In a press release earlier this month, the Pac-12 announced the extension of its prohibition on fan attendance for the foreseeable future. Still, the Bruins were able to win their first two matches.
“It makes it a little bit less stressful because you don’t have the crowd noise,” Fleck said. “But it’s still a match. … It still feels the same, just a little less struck in the moment.”
