UCLA Heads Top Volleyball Contingent

After successful campaigns for most women’s volleyball programs in the Southland, the men begin their seasons in hopes of following in the wake of their counterparts.

UCLA, Pepperdine and Long Beach State are ranked high in the preseason poll and USC and Loyola Marymount are looking to improve. Four teams will begin play Friday and Saturday at the UC Santa Barbara tournament and UCLA will play at the Hawaii tournament beginning today.

Here is a look at the Southland programs:

UCLA

The Bruins have won an unprecedented 16 national championships, three in the 1990s, and were one game from another before falling to Stanford in the NCAA finals last season.

With the return of five starters, UCLA has an excellent chance to play in the title match for the sixth consecutive year.

“We have more depth than last year,” said Coach Al Scates, who is 918-143 in 35 seasons at UCLA. “We have a lot of flexibility at outside hitter, quick hitter and opposite, so we won’t have to use the same lineup every match like last year.”

Senior captain Tom Stillwell and sophomores Brandon Taliaferro and Adam Naeve are some of the key starters for the Bruins, who finished 24-5 last season.

UCLA, winner of five consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (Mountain Division) titles, is ranked No. 2 in Volleyball Magazine’s preseason poll behind Brigham Young.

PEPPERDINE

Coach Marv Dunphy has high expectations. The third-ranked Waves are looking for a fifth national title.

“I really like the makeup of this year’s team,” Dunphy said. “Our goal at the start of every season is to compete for the national championship. If things fall into place and we can steadily improve as a team throughout the course of the season, this group has a chance to do something special.”

Pepperdine has four returning starters, including first team All-American George Roumain.

The Waves were 18-9 last season.

LONG BEACH STATE

Like the Long Beach State women’s team that reached the Final Four, the 49er men are expected to be among the elite teams fighting for a national title.

Long Beach State is ranked No. 4 and is coming off a 19-10 season in which it was second to Stanford in the MPSF Pacific Division.

“We have visions of grandeur for sure,” said Coach Ray Ratelle, one of four coaches with 300 or more victories (318-174). “But whether that happens or not remains to be seen.”

USC

If the USC men have a season similar to the women, it would delight second-year Coach Pat Powers.

“I would love to have the kind of year the women did,” said Powers, who led USC to its first winning season since 1994 with an 18-14 record, fourth in the MPSF Pacific Division. “They had team unity, they overachieved and they worked hard.”

Like Long Beach State, USC will have to win with youth. USC has three freshman starters and as many as 10 freshmen on the roster.

Senior middle blocker Szilard Kovacs and sophomore setter Donald Suxho are expected to be the leaders.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

Coach Rick McLaughlin’s goal for the season is to do what only one other Lion team has done--advance to the postseason.

“Our main goal is to make it to [the MPSF tournament] and then go from there,” McLaughlin said. “Once you make it there, anything can happen.”

Loyola Marymount was sixth in the Pacific Division with a 5-16 record. But things are looking better with the return of five starters, and McLaughlin says this is the best team he has had in his six years at the school.