Volleyball surprises Trojans in first
Campus Times
February 14, 2003
After taking the first game of its Feb. 4 match, in which the University
of La Verne men's volleyball team hosted Division I counterpart, University
of Southern California, the Leopards then dropped the next three games of
the match to lose by a score of 3-1.
The USC Trojans have lifted the National Collegiate Athletic Association
title four times in the last 26 years 1977, 1980, 1988, and 1990
along with a barrage of second places to supplement those titles. At home,
in the last 26 years, the Trojans hold an impressive record of 209-62, which
translates into an astounding .771 winning percentage.
In game one, though, it was obvious that no one bothered to tell this
to the Division III Leopards. ULV fired its way to a massive lead by the
end of the game. USC managed a small comeback, but it would not prove to
be enough, as the Leopards ended the game at 30-22 in their favor.
ULV dominated play at the net, hitting for a team percentage of .219,
with 16 kills, while holding the Trojans to only seven kills on 28 attempts
with 10 errors, for a lackluster percentage of -.107.
Game two displayed the closest competition out of the four throughout
the match. The two teams traded sideouts until the score reached 29-28,
with ULV ahead. But, after a Leopard miscue on game point, USC regained
possession to tie the score at 29. The Trojans then rallied off two consecutive
strikes to secure the victory and tie the match at one game apiece.
"The second game took a lot out of us physically and emotionally,"
said senior Nate Silva. "To work so hard and come out with a loss was
really hard for us to respond to."
The conclusion of the second game seemed to let the wind out of the
proverbial Leopard sails, and the third game displayed evidence of this.
The Trojans regained control of play at the net, holding ULV to a relatively
minuscule hitting percentage of .031, with 11 errors and 12 kills, while
making only three errors on 12 kills themselves.
"The guys just mentally let down. A loss like that is hard for
anybody to battle back," said associate head coach Morgan Coberly.
"They got in a funk."
Game four displayed much closer competition, but ultimately, the Leopards
found themselves unable to bounce back from the disappointing second and
third game losses, as USC took the fourth game and the match by respective
scores of 30-25 and 3-1.
Offensively, the match appeared statistically to have been an even battle.
ULV mounted 57 kills and a hitting percentage of .181, while the Trojans
put away 46 kills for a slightly higher team percentage of .224.
"We were just going through the motions," said freshman Matt
Cornell.
"That third game just killed us, and it hurt us in the fourth game
too," Coberly said in reference to USC's edge late in the match.
Coberly went on to site good scouting on the part of USC's coaching
staff.
"They had a good blocking scheme," Coberly said. USC managed
to shut down senior Dave Engle, who is generally a "high percentage
hitter," Coberly said.
They also served short balls to the Leopards, which, Coberly said, "threw
us off."
New faces on the ULV roster this year, Cornell and senior transfer Brad
Evans, led the Leopards in kills with match totals of 20 and 14, respectively.
Cornell hit for a solid percentage of .293, while Evans was not far behind
with .192. Combined, the two received the majority of the Leopard offensive
looks, accumulating about half of senior Scott Alley's sets.
Coberly called Evans and Cornell the "best offensive guys all season."
"(Cornell) is a true freshman, and we've been looking to him to
step up. This is the best he's played," Coberly said.
"To have a freshman put up big numbers against such a big team
is truly impressive," Silva said.
The loss to a Division I school definitely does not hurt the Leopards,
Coberly said, but if ULV had won, it would have helped tremendously in the
national polls. Another advantage to a win over a Division I squad is the
confidence boost it breeds.
"Based on the first game, if we all play together, we can beat
any one at any time," Cornell said.
It also teaches the team a new way to play, Coberly said.
"Against Division I teams, you have to play ugly, play defensive,"
Coberly said.
Next week, ULV hosts more tough competition in National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletic foe California Baptist.
With a 3-0 win over UC San Diego, who is ranked above USC in the latest
American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I-II poll, and a 3-2 loss
to fourth-ranked Division I competition Pepperdine, Cal Baptist has secured
a 6-3 overall record and the top ranking in NAIA.
A large roadblock in the way of Leopard success against the Lancers
will be the obvious height advantage held by Cal Baptist.
The Lancers' roster includes five players at 6 foot 5 inches or more,
including two at 6 foot 10 inches and 6 foot 11 inches. ULV's tallest player
is middle blocker Nate Silva, who is listed at 6 foot 6 inches.
Coberly called Cal Baptist a "huge, but streaky team."
"They're intimidating, but you have to stay consistent, keep the
ball in play and wait for them to go on a bad streak," Coberly said.
ULV will host the Lancers at 7 p.m., Tuesday in the Supertents.
"They're monsters, and we're going to have to play a really good
game to beat them," Coberly said.