www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/14514647.htmEasygoing Bruins never doubted title match berthBy Guy Ciprianogciprian@centredaily.com
UNIVERSITY PARK -- Forget shoes. These guys wear sandals everywhere.
Forget shaving. These guys decided not to touch their facial hair.
Forget panicking over a .500 record. These guys always believed they would be playing in the final of the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championships.
"It was our season goal," UCLA senior outside hitter Damien Scott said. "We always focused on that. My mom asked if we still have a chance, and I never doubted it."
Now, no mothers are questioning their sons, who are playing Penn State in tonight's 7 p.m. national final at Rec Hall in UCLA's 25th appearance in the final.
As always, the Bruins are a loose group.
Instead of quietly entering Thursday's press conference after a semifinal victory over Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, junior Paul George and sophomore Tony Ker joked about the effect eating pizza might have on an NCAA-mandated drug test. Instead of analyzing warm-ups, legendary coach Al Scates waits until 30 before a match to enter the gym.
The demeanor masks where these Bruins have been.
On March 16, UCLA dropped to 12-12 after recording its third straight loss.
There were some uneasy phone calls home and unexpected shots -- a student newspaper declared the men's volleyball program the most unlikely title contender among four of the school's major athletic programs.
But the precarious situation never changed UCLA's thinking.
"We knew we had to go (14-0) to win the national title," George said. "That's a pretty big number, but we were optimistic about it. The games were rattled off one-by-one. We went down from 12 to seven to four and here we are in the finals, and one win away from the national championship. We are playing really good volleyball."
Scates, who has won 1,134 matches in 44 years, said the season turned on March 17 when the Bruins rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Southern California in a regionally televised match. The Bruins ended the regular season with eight victories, and earned an automatic spot in the national tournament by defeating California-Santa Barbara, Hawaii, Pepperdine and Long Beach State to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title.
Injuries and rigorous workouts were reasons for the slow start.
Sophomore Steve Klosterman started the season on a swing count after missing time because of an offseason shoulder surgery. Klosterman was limited to 15 swings when UCLA played Penn State in January. The Bruins also lost senior Dennis Gonzalez because of a ankle sprain sustained during a March trip to Hawaii. Gonzalez returned to the lineup April 8 against Pacific.
Despite three separate three-match losing streaks, Scates didn't alter his philosophy. Scates can be compared to a track and field coach who designs workouts so athletes peak during the postseason. The system might have hurt the Bruins in January and February, but players continued flocking to the weight room.
Once everybody healed, the Bruins developed continuity. Their only substitutions during the winning streak have been made for serving purposes.
"What I do from my perspective is that I continue to work them hard," Scates said. "In the long run, that pays off. It's easy to peak a team. I know how to peak a team -- if they stay healthy."
Perceptions of Scates' current group, which doesn't include a first-or second-team All-American, have changed during the 13-match winning streak. At the beginning of the streak, Scates said opposing coaches were attributing losses to poor play. The excuses ended after UCLA defeated Pepperdine in the MPSF semifinals.
IPFW coach Arnie Ball entered Thursday's news conference and shouted, "They're better than us."
The four words suggest the Bruins are where they belong.
"At UCLA," Ker said, "you expect to get to the national championship."
