No. 1-Ranked UCLA Women Play Texas as Volleyball Finals Open

UCLA’s top-ranked women’s volleyball team will compete for its fifth national title, all under Coach Andy Banachowski, in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. final four tournament at the University of Minnesota, starting tonight.

More than 7,500 advance tickets have been sold for the tournament at the Williams Arena.

UCLA (34-0) will play sixth-ranked Texas (32-5) at 4 p.m., PST. The game will be broadcast, delayed, by KGIL (1260) at 6.

The UCLA-Texas match will be followed by one between Hawaii, last year’s national champion and ranked third this time at 32-2, and No. 4 Illinois (30-3). The winners will advance to the title game Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Texas was twice a victim of the Bruins early this season, losing 10-15, 15-6, 15-6, 15-11, and 15-11, 15-6, 15-5.

Tonight’s match will feature two All-American middle-blockers--UCLA’s Daiva Tomkus and Texas’ Dawn Davenport--each 6 feet 1 inch. Both teams have tall front lines.

UCLA last won a national championship in 1984.