The Colleges : NCAA Women’s Volleyball Playoffs : Irvine Faces a New Challenge, Takes On Favored Long Beach

It has been a season of firsts for the UC Irvine women’s volleyball team, so it seems appropriate that the Anteaters will make their first venture into the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. playoffs tonight.

Irvine (19-11), the seventh-seeded team in the Northwest region, meets second-seeded Cal State Long Beach (25-6) at 7:30 in the 49ers’ University Gym.

“When I was hired 9 years ago, my goal was to make the top 20 and the NCAA championships within 5 years,” Coach Mike Puritz said. “But it wasn’t a realistic goal because we weren’t funded in a way that allows you to bring in enough good players.”

The Anteaters, with virtually the same lineup that went 12-15 last season, have developed with experience and jelled into a unit that has attained Puritz’s goals--albeit a few years late.

Irvine cracked the top 20 for the first time this week when it was rated No. 20 in the nation. The Anteaters beat some perennial powerhouses--Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of the Pacific and San Jose State--for the first time since entering the conference. And senior middle blocker Kris Roberts became Irvine’s first All-Big West first-team selection.

Irvine hasn’t had much time to revel in the glory, though. The Anteaters are 3-20 in their series with Long Beach and that includes two losses in 1988. The 49ers swept Irvine in three games at Long Beach Sept. 28 and then held on for a 5-game victory (11-15, 15-9, 15-9, 8-15, 15-8) at Irvine Oct. 26.

“Long Beach is an excellent team,” Puritz said. “We didn’t have a very good showing there in September, but we’re a much better team than we were 2 months ago.

If there wasn’t enough riding on the game, both teams will have a bit of added incentive. The winner goes to the regional tournament . . . which will be in Hawaii. So, one way or another, the Anteaters will be saying “Aloha” to a sparkling 1988 season tonight.