Post by bucky415 on Sept 17, 2005 22:49:26 GMT -5
UCLA swept Villanova in Madison this evening. I think the game scores were 30-25, 30-27, 30-16(?). It was a costly win for the Bruins, however, as Meghan Schoen probably tore her ACL. She ran a back slide for a kill and must have come down awkwardly; I didn't see what happened exactly. As a fan, it just gives you a sick feeling to see anything like that happen. Best wishes to Meghan for a quick and full recovery.
In the match, UCLA was improved somewhat over yesterday but still have room for improvement. In addition to the injury to Schoen, Lyman didn't play and was limping noticeably. I hope that she is somehow able to play tomorrow, but it looked like she would have to get a lot better quickly to do so. Barba didn't start (Smith was at OH and Kroneberger at libero), but she replaced Schoen in the middle after she got hurt. Meriwether and Barba hit very well out of the middle.
Villanova didn't pass well at all, which hurt them. They did have a huge run at the end of game two, when they came back from 29-18 to get it back to 27 before falling. UCLA was out of system quite a bit and had to hit a lot of tips, many of which did fall for them. Johnson hit from the right side a lot but was somewhat ineffective and was replaced by Carter in the last game.
The injuries definitely are hurting UCLA's firepower, but the Bruins seem like a team that is still trying to mesh at this point, and they don't have overwhelming talent or athleticism, in my opinion. I am still expecting them to play their best match of the weekend tomorrow, but I will be really disappointed if the Badgers lose. They have clearly been the better team thus far this weekend.
In the match, UCLA was improved somewhat over yesterday but still have room for improvement. In addition to the injury to Schoen, Lyman didn't play and was limping noticeably. I hope that she is somehow able to play tomorrow, but it looked like she would have to get a lot better quickly to do so. Barba didn't start (Smith was at OH and Kroneberger at libero), but she replaced Schoen in the middle after she got hurt. Meriwether and Barba hit very well out of the middle.
Villanova didn't pass well at all, which hurt them. They did have a huge run at the end of game two, when they came back from 29-18 to get it back to 27 before falling. UCLA was out of system quite a bit and had to hit a lot of tips, many of which did fall for them. Johnson hit from the right side a lot but was somewhat ineffective and was replaced by Carter in the last game.
The injuries definitely are hurting UCLA's firepower, but the Bruins seem like a team that is still trying to mesh at this point, and they don't have overwhelming talent or athleticism, in my opinion. I am still expecting them to play their best match of the weekend tomorrow, but I will be really disappointed if the Badgers lose. They have clearly been the better team thus far this weekend.
