BRUINS HEAD TO NEBRASKA FOR THREE MATCHES
For the fourth time in the last fi ve years, the Bruins will travel to
the state of Nebraska, this weekend heading to the Cornhusker
State for the Ameritas Players Challenge. Eighth-ranked UCLA
(5-1) faces BYU (4-3) on Thursday and Virginia (4-2) on Friday,
with both matches starting at 2:30 p.m. PT at the NU Coliseum.
After an off day on Saturday, the Bruins play #5 Nebraska (5-
1) on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT at the Devaney Center. Live stats
will be available for all three matches on the schedule page of
UCLABruins.com, while live audio and video will be available for
free for the Nebraska contest.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins moved up to eighth in this week’s AVCA poll, earning
59 additional points following their 3-0 weekend at the Alexis Park
Classic in Las Vegas. UCLA has received more points than the
week prior in both regular-season rankings. The Bruins are the
second-highest rated Pac-10 team in the poll behind third-ranked
Washington. UCLA also moved up two positions to ninth in this
week’s Volleyball Magazine rankings. In the Pac-10 Preseason
Coaches poll, the Bruins were ranked fourth behind Washington,
California and Stanford.
BRUINS ON THE NET
All UCLA home matches, along with road contests at Pepperdine
(Sept. 16), against Long Beach State in Fullerton (Sept. 19) and
at USC (Nov. 6), will feature live audio broadcasts at UCLABruins.
com. Darren Preston and Michael Sondheimer will call all the
action. In addition, Gametracker or live stats will be available for
all home matches and most road contests. Links can be found on
the schedule page of UCLABruins.com.
TIME CHANGE
The Bruins’ Sept. 19 match against Fordham at the Brea Embassy
Suites Fullerton Classic has been changed to a 1:30 p.m. start
time. The contest was originally scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
UCLA HISTORY IN NEBRASKA
UCLA will be making its eighth trip to Nebraska since 1991 this
weekend, including its fourth appearance in the last fi ve years.
The Bruins are 8-6 in the state of Nebraska, posting a 7-4 record
in Lincoln and a 1-2 mark in Omaha. Eight of the 14 contests
have come during regular-season tournaments, in which UCLA
holds a 6-2 record. The Bruins are 2-4 in postseason matches.
UCLA’s last appearance in the Cornhusker State came in 2007 at
the AVCA Showcase in Omaha, as the Bruins defeated Utah and
lost to Nebraska. Each of the last three UCLA matches have been
played in Omaha, with the most recent contest in Lin Lincoln coming
in 2005, a Regional Semifi nal loss to the Huskers.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS BYU went 2-1 at its own Nike Classic in Provo, Utah, beating Cal Poly in fi ve and Weber State in three before dropping a fi ve-set heartbreaker to #23 Kansas State. Three of the Cougars’ seven matches this season have gone fi ve sets. BYU is hitting .221 as a team, averaging 0.96 aces and 2.57 blocks per set. Senior right side hitter Kayla Walker leads the team in kills per set at 3.82, also averaging 1.96 digs per set. Junior middle blocker Christina Measom is second with 2.07 kps, while freshman middle blocker Nicole Warner is fi rst with 1.29 bps. Junior Kiana Rogers handles the setting duties and averages 9.25 assists per set, while senior Morgan Lloyd Sorensen is fi rst in dps at 3.04. BYU returned eight letterwinners and four starters from a 2008 squad that went 14- 12 and placed sixth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-9 record. The Bruins own a 22-5 all-time series advantage against the Cougars, winning the most recent meeting on Sept. 18, 2004 in Provo in four sets. BYU pulled off a three-set sweep of UCLA on Dec. 10, 1993 in Westwood to advance to the Final Four, which was its last win against the Bruins. Prior to that loss, the Bruins had won six straight against the Cougars. UCLA is 9-1 in neutralsite matches against BYU. SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS After dropping its fi rst two matches of the season, Virginia has won four in a row against Iona, North Carolina Central, Virginia Commonwealth and Campbell. The Cavaliers are hitting .259 as a team, averaging 1.60 aces and 1.52 blocks per set. Senior outside hitter Lauren Dickson (3.80 kps, 2.45 dps) and sophomore outside Simone Asque (3.25, 2.15 dps) are each averaging above three kills and two digs per set. Freshman setter Rachel Gray quarterbacks the offense, recording 9.40 assists per set, while junior AJ Cushman is the top digger at 3.05 dps. Virginia, which returned nine letterwinners and fi ve starters from last year, were 17-15 in 2008 and ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 9-5 record. The Bruins are 2-0 against the Cavaliers, including a three-set sweep last Sept. 19 in Evanston, Ill. Katie Camp led the Bruins in that match with 13 kills. The fi rst meeting between the teams came in 1998 in the fi rst round of the NCAA Tournament in Santa Barbara, as UCLA won in four sets. SCOUTING THE HUSKERS Nebraska has won fi ve straight since a season-opening defeat to Michigan, knocking off Minnesota and LSU in fi ve sets and sweeping Creighton, Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane. The Huskers are hitting .229 as a team with 0.86 aces and 2.75 blocks per set. Nebraska spreads the offense around with fi ve players averaging at least two kills per set. Junior outside hitter Tara Mueller leads the way with 3.37 kps to go along with 2.79 digs per set. Following Mueller are freshman outside Hannah Werth
(2.47), junior right side hitter Lindsey Licht (2.32), sophomore
middle blocker Brooke Delano (2.26) and freshman outside hitter
Gina Mancuso (2.23). Delano is the top blocker at 1.37 bps, junior
Sydney Anderson handles the setting, recording 9.76 assists per
set, and junior Kayla Banwarth is the top digger at 4.82 dps. In
what has become almost a yearly battle over the last decade, the
Bruins and the Huskers have faced off every year of the ‘00’s with
the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2008. Nebraska holds a 9-3
all-time advantage against UCLA, winning three in a row. In the
last meeting at the 2007 AVCA Showcase in Omaha, the Huskers
claimed a 3-1 victory. The most recent matchup in Lincoln came
in a Regional Semifi nal in 2005, with the Huskers sweeping the
Bruins. UCLA’s last victory against Nebraska was a 3-1 triumph in
Lincoln in the 2003 Regional Semis. The Bruins are 2-3 all-time
in Lincoln against the Huskers.
GIL NAMED MVP OF ALEXIS PARK CLASSIC
Sophomore Amanda Gil was named the Most Valuable Player
of last weekend’s Alexis Park Classic, averaging 2.89 kills, 1.89
blocks and 1.22 digs per set with a .412 hitting percentage to
help the Bruins to sweeps of UNLV, Loyola Marymount and Idaho.
Joining Gil on the All-Tournament Team were junior Dicey McGraw,
who averaged 3.78 kps and 2.33 dps and sophomore Lainey
Gera, who posted 3.56 dps and a team-best four service aces. Gil
has been named to a pair of All-Tournament Teams this season,
also earning honors at the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational
in Honolulu two weeks ago. Joining Gil on the opening weekend’s
All-Tournament Team was freshman Lauren Cook.
QUICK DRAW McGRAW
The Bruins’ go-to hitter for the fi rst two weekends of the season
has been junior Dicey McGraw, who leads the Bruins with 3.67
kills per set and 159 attempts. McGraw has led UCLA in kills
in three of its six matches, including a season-high 16 against
Loyola Marymount on Saturday. The junior opened up the season
with 12 kills and a career-best .500 hitting percentage against
Santa Clara on Aug. 28, adding 12 more kills against Hawai’i on
Aug. 30. Last weekend at the Alexis Park Classic, McGraw had
nine kills in the opener against UNLV on Friday and had a big
performance in a doubleheader on Saturday. After recording 16
kills and eight digs against Loyola Marymount in Saturday’s fi rst
match, McGraw nearly recorded her fi fth career double-double
against Idaho, falling one kill short with nine to go along with 10
digs. For her efforts, the junior was named to the All-Tournament
Team. In addition to her prowess on the offensive end of things
for the Bruins, McGraw has been superb on defense. She is
third on the team with 1.83 digs and 0.72 blocks per set. Last
season, McGraw was second on the team in kps (2.86) and
double-fi gure kills matches with 20. One of six Bruins to take
part in all 33 matches a year ago, McGraw played in 119 out of
122 sets. Two separate times last season, the outside hitter had
four consecutive matches with double fi gures in kills (Sept. 19-
26 and Oct. 17-26), posting a double-double (16 kills, 10 digs)
during one of those streaks against Northwestern on Sept. 20.
McGraw came up huge during the fi rst two rounds of the NCAA
Tournament, leading the Bruins in kills in both contests with 13 to
help UCLA to its sixth straight Regional appearance.
THREAT AT THE NET
Sophomore Amanda Gil was named Most Valuable Player of last
weekend’s Alexis Park Classic, averaging 2.89 kills, 1.89 blocks
and 1.22 digs per set with a .412 hitting percentage in sweeps of
UNLV, Loyola Marymount and Idaho. Gil led the Bruins in blocks in
all three matches and has been the top blocker in fi ve straight. The
sophomore had a season-best seven roofs and tied a career high
with six digs against the host Rebels on Friday, adding eight kills
and only one error in 15 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage.
Gil followed that up with 10 kills, a .471 hitting percentage and
six blocks against Loyola Marymount on Saturday and concluded
the weekend with eight kills and four blocks against Idaho. The
sophomore has been named to a pair of All-Tournament Teams
after also earning honors at the season-opening Chevron
Rainbow Wahine Invitational. Gil had seven kills and a .545 hitting
percentage in the fi rst match of the year against Santa Clara on
Aug. 28 and added seven kills and six blocks against Hawai’i on
Aug. 30. On the season, Gil is tops on the team in bps (1.67) and
hitting percentage (.385), tied for fi rst with fi ve service aces and
second with 2.50 kps. Last year, Gil was named Pacifi c Region
and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year after leading the Bruins with
1.46 blocks per set and a .327 hitting percentage. The 6-foot-6
Gil, who switched to jersey #1 this season and is the tallest player to ever wear that number at UCLA, fi nished sixth in the nation in bps and 88th in hitting percentage, while ranking second among Pac-10 players in blocks and sixth in hitting percentage. Gil led the Bruins in blocks 21 times last season, posting a season-best 13 against Oregon on Nov. 1 and adding 13 kills for her fi rst career double-double. Overall, she had 19 matches with at least fi ve blocks and surpassed double fi gures twice. On offense, Gil was third with 2.54 kills per set, notching double fi gures in kills a dozen times, which also was third on the team. Gil had a seasonbest 20 kills at Northwestern on Sept. 20, which tied for the most kills for a Bruin in one match last season. She hit over .400 with at least 10 kills on four occasions, producing a .647 percentage at Cal State Northridge on Sept. 16, and had no attack errors in a match seven times. WHAT’S COOKIN’ It will be a homecoming this weekend for freshman Lauren Cook, as the Nebraska native returns to her hometown for the Ameritas Players Challenge. In her fi nal year at Pius X High School in Lincoln, Cook was the Andi Collins Award winner as the nation’s top senior setter and the MaxPreps National Player of the Year. In her fi rst year at UCLA, she has stepped right into the role of setter previously held by three-time All-American Nellie Spicer and helped the Bruins jump out to a 5-1 start. Cook has posted at least 30 assists in fi ve straight matches and is tops on the team with 10.28 assists per set. The freshman was named to the All-Tournament Team at the season-opening Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational, recording solid production not only with her setting but also with her kills and blocks. Cook led the Bruins in roofs with four in the opener against Santa Clara on Aug. 28 and added four kills, a feat she has accomplished two more times against Hawai’i (Aug. 30) and UNLV (Sept. 4). Cook’s season best in assists came against Western Michigan on Aug. 29 when she had 34. She also had seven digs against the Broncos and equaled that season-best output against Loyola Marymount last Saturday. OSLO’S OWN WITH IMPRESSIVE START Another freshman making an outstanding debut to her collegiate career is Mari Hole, a product of Oslo, Norway. Hole, a superb club and beach player in her native country, is one of three Bruins averaging over two kills per set, coming in at 2.25 kps in only 12 sets. Hole led the Bruins with a season-high 10 kills in last Friday’s match against UNLV, swinging at a .412 clip and adding six digs and three blocks. One contest after her fi rst double-fi gure kills match, Hole had double fi gures in digs with 10 against Loyola Marymount to go along with six kills. The freshman fi nished up the weekend with four kills against Idaho. During the opening weekend in Honolulu, Hole appeared in only four sets, but had seven kills, including fi ve in the third set against Western Michigan on Aug. 29. She was a perfect 5-for-5 in the hitting department against the Broncos. LAINEY THE LIBERO Liberos typically are under the most pressure on the court as they constantly receive either tough serve or kill attempts. The Bruins had a third-team All-American libero in Jessica Fine patrolling the backcourt last season, but have found someone to fi ll her shoes (and different colored jersey) this season in Lainey Gera. The sophomore has double fi gures in digs in four of her last fi ve matches and is tops on the team with 3.61 digs per set. Gera was named to the Alexis Park Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend, averaging 3.56 dps and posting four service aces. After recording nine digs against UNLV on Friday, Gera went for double fi gures in both matches on Saturday, notching 10 against Loyola Marymount and 13 against Idaho. She had at least one service ace in all three contests, tallying a pair against Idaho. During the opening weekend at the Chevron Invitational, Gera had a pair of 14-dig matches against Western Michigan (Aug. 29) and Hawai’i (Aug. 30). Against the Rainbow Wahine, she also added a careerhigh seven assists. Playing as one of the team’s defensive and serving specialists last season, Gera played in all 33 matches and in 119 sets, averaging 1.97 digs per set (fourth on the team) and producing 17 aces (tied for fourth). She had six double-fi gure digs contests last season, with her highest output coming at Stanford on Nov. 22 when she had 19. Gera followed that up with a 17- dig effort in her next match against Pepperdine on Nov. 25. In the serving department, she had a season-high three aces at California on Nov. 21 and had two aces in three more matches.
