Post by bigfan on Oct 3, 2005 10:29:13 GMT -5
Senior comes up big as USC wins rivalry game
Bibiana Candelas leads the No. 19 women's volleyball team past UCLA with 26 kills
By Alex Delanian
WESTWOOD - Although gravity acted on both sides of the net, the UCLA Bruins had to deal with another force of nature that put them at a serious disadvantage.
And she plays for USC.
Middle blocker Bibiana Candelas had a career-high 26 kills and seven blocks to lead the No. 19 Women of Troy to a four-game victory over the No. 17 UCLA Bruins, 25-30, 30-15, 30-20, 30-26.
After hitting .051 in the first game and seemingly overwhelmed by the 2,777 rowdy fans in attendance at Pauley Pavilion, USC (5-6, 1-2 Pacific-10 Conference) stepped up its game on the shoulders of a breakout performance.
Candelas had just three kills and three errors on 10 attempts in the first game, as setter Nena Siljegovic struggled to set the ball high enough for the 6-foot-5 senior to capitalize. Once the two adjusted to each other, it was trouble for the Bruins (7-5, 0-3).
Hitting outside, middle, slides and pipes, Candelas racked up 23 kills in the next three games on 44 attempts, finishing the match with a .389 attack percentage.
"Bibi is the one - if she puts it down for us then we've got a chance," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We're moving her around and Nena's got a grasp of what we can do with her now."
Although it became increasingly obvious as the match progressed that Candelas was USC's primary option, the Bruins were helpless to slow her down.
"We have five freshmen out there on the court the whole time, and they just aren't used to seeing a player of her caliber," UCLA assistant coach Kim Jagd said. "She's super tall and a polished international player. She's fabulous."
The Women of Troy also received solid contributions from outside hitters Diane Copenhagen and Staci Venski, who posted 15 and 10 kills, respectively, and kept the team steady when Candelas rotated out.
With a career performance under her belt, Candelas spent no time living in the past, instead acknowledging the importance of the victory for USC's future.
It gave us a lot of confidence for other games," Candelas said. "A win also means that we're getting better and I think this team can do a lot better, which is why we're working hard every day at the gym."
Getting over the hurdle and finally picking up a Pac-10 victory was important for USC, but Haley is keeping his focus on the games ahead.
"We couldn't have gone 0-3, I don't think, and met our goals, but next week's two matches are huge, and the two matches after that are huge," Haley said. "We just have to go one at a time, keep improving, and hope by December 1st we're ready to make big noise in the tournament."
Blocking carried the Women of Troy throughout the match, totaling 16 to UCLA's nine. They also won the battle of the serve with seven aces and just six serving errors while UCLA had only three aces and 11 errors.
The crowd at Pauley Pavilion did its best to lift UCLA out of numerous holes, but it was freshman Kelli Tennant that emerged as vocal leader on the court for USC, showing great energy and enthusiasm in her first experience in the USC-UCLA rivalry.
"It was amazing," Tennant said."It was even better than I expected. I'm comfortable enough with the girls on the team that I can try and help take a leadership role."
Tennant supplied the team chemistry, but Candelas provided something entirely different as every ball came to her, every blocker looked to her and just about every point was credited to her. She was a force.
Call it team physics.
Bibiana Candelas leads the No. 19 women's volleyball team past UCLA with 26 kills
By Alex Delanian
WESTWOOD - Although gravity acted on both sides of the net, the UCLA Bruins had to deal with another force of nature that put them at a serious disadvantage.
And she plays for USC.
Middle blocker Bibiana Candelas had a career-high 26 kills and seven blocks to lead the No. 19 Women of Troy to a four-game victory over the No. 17 UCLA Bruins, 25-30, 30-15, 30-20, 30-26.
After hitting .051 in the first game and seemingly overwhelmed by the 2,777 rowdy fans in attendance at Pauley Pavilion, USC (5-6, 1-2 Pacific-10 Conference) stepped up its game on the shoulders of a breakout performance.
Candelas had just three kills and three errors on 10 attempts in the first game, as setter Nena Siljegovic struggled to set the ball high enough for the 6-foot-5 senior to capitalize. Once the two adjusted to each other, it was trouble for the Bruins (7-5, 0-3).
Hitting outside, middle, slides and pipes, Candelas racked up 23 kills in the next three games on 44 attempts, finishing the match with a .389 attack percentage.
"Bibi is the one - if she puts it down for us then we've got a chance," USC coach Mick Haley said. "We're moving her around and Nena's got a grasp of what we can do with her now."
Although it became increasingly obvious as the match progressed that Candelas was USC's primary option, the Bruins were helpless to slow her down.
"We have five freshmen out there on the court the whole time, and they just aren't used to seeing a player of her caliber," UCLA assistant coach Kim Jagd said. "She's super tall and a polished international player. She's fabulous."
The Women of Troy also received solid contributions from outside hitters Diane Copenhagen and Staci Venski, who posted 15 and 10 kills, respectively, and kept the team steady when Candelas rotated out.
With a career performance under her belt, Candelas spent no time living in the past, instead acknowledging the importance of the victory for USC's future.
It gave us a lot of confidence for other games," Candelas said. "A win also means that we're getting better and I think this team can do a lot better, which is why we're working hard every day at the gym."
Getting over the hurdle and finally picking up a Pac-10 victory was important for USC, but Haley is keeping his focus on the games ahead.
"We couldn't have gone 0-3, I don't think, and met our goals, but next week's two matches are huge, and the two matches after that are huge," Haley said. "We just have to go one at a time, keep improving, and hope by December 1st we're ready to make big noise in the tournament."
Blocking carried the Women of Troy throughout the match, totaling 16 to UCLA's nine. They also won the battle of the serve with seven aces and just six serving errors while UCLA had only three aces and 11 errors.
The crowd at Pauley Pavilion did its best to lift UCLA out of numerous holes, but it was freshman Kelli Tennant that emerged as vocal leader on the court for USC, showing great energy and enthusiasm in her first experience in the USC-UCLA rivalry.
"It was amazing," Tennant said."It was even better than I expected. I'm comfortable enough with the girls on the team that I can try and help take a leadership role."
Tennant supplied the team chemistry, but Candelas provided something entirely different as every ball came to her, every blocker looked to her and just about every point was credited to her. She was a force.
Call it team physics.
