#2 UCLA Men’s Volleyball (7-1, 5-0)
Opponent: #11 UC Santa Barbara (6-2, 3-2)
When: Friday, January 27, 2017, 7:00 PM PT
Where: The Thunderdome, Santa Barbara, CA
Audio: Bruins Live Audio
Live Stream: Stretch Internet Video
Live Stats: Presto Sports Live Stats
The Bruins are heading up the coast today to take on the Gauchos for the second time this week
— UCLA M. Volleyball (@UCLAMVB) January 27, 2017
Live stats: https://t.co/9LuJewj6TE #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/xah4zkSzfm
On Wednesday the Bruins hosted the Gauchos and sent them home after just three sets. UCLA made relatively quick work of UCSB (25-17, 25-20, 25-20), notching its fifth straight victory in the process, and keeping its perfect MPSF record intact.
That wasn't the only good news, though:
Huge congrats to Coach @JohnSperaw and his wife Michelle for welcoming the newest Bruin, Hailey Paige Speraw, into the world!! pic.twitter.com/4cEMpXhz0z
— UCLA M. Volleyball (@UCLAMVB) January 27, 2017
Coach Speraw may have missed the match, but the Bruins did a great job of staying focused and executing the game plan. UCLA hit a solid .344 for the match while holding UCSB under .200. Sophomore sensation Micah Ma'a turned in another terrific all-around performance with 5 kills, 20 assists, 4 block assists, 7 digs and an ace. OH Jake Arnitz led UCLA in kills with 10, while freshman MB Daenan Gyimah added 8 kills and 3 blocks., Mitch Stahl and JT Hatch each contributed half a dozen kills and three aces. Libero Jackson Bantle chipped in with 9 digs.
The Pac-12 has highlights of the Bruins' sweep
and an interview with assistant coach Brad Keller who was filling in for the absent Coach Speraw
OffTheBlock has a more in-depth interview with UCLA assistant coach John Hawkes:
This evening the Bruins head to the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara for the rematch. I suspect that the Bruins will stick pretty close to the game plan that worked so well on Wednesday night, but it's likely to be tougher going with the Gauchos playing on their home court in front of the notoriously raucous supporters in the Thunderdome. The Gauchos will undoubtedly continue to feature OH Jacob Delson as their primary attacker, but they'll have to be more effective in running their offense through the middle to create better opportunities for Delson. However, if the Bruins serve as well tonight as they did on Friday, we're very likely to see the same outcome.
Go BRUINS!