UCI survives opener in five

Steve Virgen

For all the youth and wide-eyed feel the UC Irvine women’s volleyball

players possess, it was actually the Anteaters’ experience that

turned the tide ... experience in five-game matches, that is.

UCI, which had won six of eight five-game matches before Friday,

defeated Missouri in five games to grab its first-ever NCAA

tournament victory at UCLA.

With a 30-27, 31-33, 25-30, 30-28, 15-12 victory, the Anteaters

advance to tonight’s second round, facing UCLA at 7 at Pauley

Pavilion.

“We have been very fortunate to win a number of five-game matches

this year,” UCI Coach Charlie Brande said. “Once we got to that point

I think we had a pretty good grasp of what to do in the fifth game.”

UCI junior outside hitter Kelly Wing led the ‘Eaters (24-9) with a

match-high 31 kills, yet it was also the play of sophomores Terbrie

Taylor (20 kills) and Amanda Vasquez (16) that helped make the

difference.

Taylor slammed three consecutive kills, as UCI broke away from a

5-5 tie for an 8-5 lead in the fifth game. The Anteaters, who

continue their best season in their history, maintained the momentum

to grab a 13-9 advantage, but Missouri, as it had most of the night,

came back and pulled within 13-12, prompting a Brande timeout.

UCI then went to its do-everything player, Wing, who dug the serve

and then slammed the kill on an assist from junior Ashlie Hain, who

amassed 58 assists.

“We just kept going at them and fighting,” Wing said.

Vasquez teamed with Dana Kurzbard for a block that turned away

Shen Danru’s hit for UCI’s final point and the victory. Danru had 19

kills, while freshman Jessica Vander Kooi’s 23 kills led Mizzou.

Sophomore setter Lindsay Hunter, who started last year and helped

lead the Tigers to their first NCAA tournament victory, collected 62

assists.

The Tigers entered Friday’s match having won just three out of

eight five-game matches.

“We just know that we have the confidence that we can pull out the

fifth game,” Taylor said. “Once our team gets going and builds

momentum, I think we’re pretty hard to stop. That’s what happened in

the fifth game. We just kept going, going and going.”

A fifth game seemed inevitable, as both teams matched up well. UCI

and Mizzou both have just one senior, and the two teams’ tallest

player is 6-5. They also both have strong outside hitting, UCI with

Wing and the Tigers with Vander Kooi.

Missouri appeared to have the advantage from the first game,

considering the Tigers were more seasoned, having earned four

straight NCAA tournament appearances, yet last year was the first for

most of this season’s players. The Anteaters were nervous in their

first NCAA tournament match since 1988. Hain’s serve to open the

match went into the net. However, UCI was able to overcome their

anxiety and a few tough setbacks throughout the match.

In the second game, the Anteaters led, 28-25, but the Tigers

(19-11) rallied and won, 33-31. Missouri’s victory, however, did not

take the life out of the ‘Eaters. They battled with the Tigers in the

fourth game with no lead being more than three points, until Missouri

scored five straight points, breaking away form a 21-21 tie to take a

26-21 lead.

UCI looked like it was falling apart again in the fourth game. The

Anteaters built a 24-18 lead, but let the Tigers back in the game, as

Missouri came back and caught UCI at 26. There were two more ties,

until a Taylor kill gave the ‘Eaters a 29-28 lead. Then, Sami Cash,

who struggled with inconsistency, collected a kill on an overpass.

Going into the fifth-game, UCI senior Brenda Waterman, who

recorded a match-high 24 digs, shouted encouragement at her

teammates, telling them to never quit. Brande called Waterman, a

Newport Harbor High product, the team’s unsung hero.

She also led the team after the match, as the Anteaters were not

ecstatic after winning, instead acting as if they had been there,

done that. When they went to the locker room, Brande said, the

players wanted to know what time they played the next day.

“I told them to enjoy the victory,” Brande said. “These are the

rewards for understanding how to play at this level.

“Please understand what a huge match this is for all of these

girls,” Brande said, when addressing the media. “[This is] their

first time playing here at Pauley, their first time in the NCAA.”