COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL / NCAA MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCLA Gains Shot at 14th Title

In a match that seemed to be little more than a formality, the top-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team easily defeated Ohio State, 15-4, 15-4, 15-2, Friday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Final Four at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA, the most dominant team in the sport with 13 NCAA championships, is making its first appearance in the Final Four since 1989.

Cal State Northridge defeated Penn State in the other semifinal, so a Southern California team will win the title for the 24th consecutive season. No team from outside Southern California has ever won this tournament.

UCLA, which defeated fourth-ranked Northridge twice during the regular season, will play the Matadors tonight at 7:30.

This season, the Bruin seniors found themselves in an unusual situation: They were the only senior class in school history to face the prospect of not winning a national championship during a four-year career.

But after retaining their No. 1 ranking all season and winning the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship to earn a berth in the Final Four, there was little doubt that the Bruins (28-9) would reach the final.

Mike Sealy, UCLA’s senior All-American setter, acknowledged that the Bruin players were relaxed for their semifinal match.

“I think we’re going to save all the fire for (the final),” he said.

From the start, the more experienced Bruins overwhelmed the young Buckeyes, whose starting lineup included two freshmen and two sophomores.

Ohio State scored the first three points of the match before UCLA scored 14 unanswered points, won the first game, and controlled the rest of the match.

Dan Landry led UCLA with 16 kills and six digs, even though he played only the first two games. UCLA Coach Al Scates turned to his bench during the third game.

UCLA hit .506 as a team compared to Ohio State’s .168, but, according to history, the outcome was predictable before the teams even showed up to play.

West Coast teams are so dominant in the sport that it seems a mere formality that teams from the East and Midwest Regions are extended bids to the Final Four each year. They almost always lose in the semifinals.

Ohio State is making its 11th appearance in the Final Four, but reached the final only once, in 1977.

Landry said there was never a doubt in his mind that UCLA would reach the final.

“Especially after watching Northridge beat Penn State, because, um, who did we play again?” Landry asked.

Reminded by Scates that they had played Ohio State, Landry remembered that Penn State beat Ohio State three times this season.

They will meet again for third place today at 5 p.m.