UCLA’s Plan Is Spoiled by Stanford

After an undefeated season during which it was called the most talented team ever assembled, UCLA failed to execute its own game plan Saturday night in the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball final.

Instead of landing in the record books, UCLA finished its season as merely another runner-up.

Second-ranked Stanford upset the top-ranked Bruins, 15-8, 15-9, 6-15, 15-10, before 4,693 at New Mexico’s University Arena.

The Cardinal dashed the Bruins’ hopes of winning a third consecutive national championship.

UCLA (33-1), which lost only six games all season before the final, dropped the first two games to Stanford (31-2) and never recovered.

“We just didn’t come out and execute our game,” said Natalie Williams, who usually leads UCLA offensively. “We needed to block better and serve a little tougher and that didn’t happen tonight.”

Williams, who had a .424 hitting percentage entering the match, led the Bruins with 21 kills in 51 attempts. She also had six errors for a .294 percentage.

Elaine Youngs had 20 kills in 35 attempts and six errors, hitting .400.

Bev Oden led Stanford with 21 kills.

UCLA had won 43 consecutive matches since a loss at Stanford on Nov. 15, 1991.

This season, UCLA and Stanford lost only to each other.

It is Stanford’s first NCAA championship in seven final four appearances.

“We knew that if we kept banging on the door, either a hole would be formed or someone would open it,” said Don Shaw, Stanford coach. “I think we made our own hole.”

Wendy Hromadka, a reserve freshman for Stanford, made the winning kill, which bounced off the hands of UCLA middle blocker Lisa Hudak before sailing into the stands.

Oden, the only American Volleyball Coaches Assn. four-time first team All-American, held up the NCAA championship trophy while Stanford players danced around the court.

The Bruins sat on their bench and stared in disbelief.

The Cardinal jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first game. UCLA scored the next six points to take the lead, but Stanford came from behind to win the game on a kill down the line by Cary Wendell.

Andy Banachowski, UCLA coach, substituted Annett Buckner and Irene Renteria early in the second game for Jenny Evans, an outside hitter, and Hudak, but it did not stop a 10-point run that helped Stanford win the game.

UCLA took an 11-6 lead in game three, holding the Cardinal scoreless after Williams came from the back row to drive a kill down the middle.

Stanford broke a 5-5 tie in game four, taking control with a 7-1 run, capped by a kill by Oden.

UCLA was trying to become the second undefeated team in women’s volleyball history. USC’s 1977 team retained its distinction as the only unbeaten team.