UCLA Gets Leslie Brewer Back, Beats USC Women in Volleyball

The UCLA women’s volleyball team got its expected easy victory over USC Wednesday night along with a bonus--the return of senior outside hitter Leslie Brewer.

“It was a real thrill to get her back in the lineup,” UCLA Coach Andy Banachowski said after the eighth-ranked Bruins took only one hour to win, 15-3, 15-9, 15-8, at USC’s North Gym. “She had been practicing with us the last couple days with a cast, and the ball would rocket against the walls after she would hit it because she couldn’t snap her wrists.”

Brewer was starting for UCLA (21-7 overall and 10-1 to lead the Pacific-10 Conference) in the first three weeks of the season, but she broke a bone in her left (hitting) hand about a month ago. Her return after only two days practice--albeit a brief one late in the final game--gives the Bruins more options going into key games this weekend on the road against the Arizona schools and next Wednesday against top-ranked San Diego State.

“I did OK,” she said. “I think most of it was on adrenaline.”

USC’s Nancy Hillman, a sophomore from Hoover High School in Glendale, was the only player to reach double figures in kills, with 11. Lori Zeno and Wendy Fletcher, who has been playing well as Brewer’s replacement, both had 9 kills for UCLA.

The Bruins lead the series between the schools, 27-26.

“I had a couple goals coming into the match,” said USC Coach Chuck Erbe, whose team dropped to 2-20 and 0-11 in an injury-decimated season. “One, I didn’t want to get shut out by a 15-0 score in any of the games. Two, I hoped we would score in double digits in one of the games, and we came real close in the second. I was pretty pleased with what we did, particularly in games 2 and 3. You just can’t have lofty goals with this team this year with so many people hurt.”