On paper, the Bears outrank the Bruins in every category.
According to Pac-12 statistics, the Bears (8-3, 1-1 Pac-12) are ahead of the No. 16 Bruins (9-3, 0-2 Pac-12) in hitting, serving, blocks and all other statistical aspects of the game.
But UCLA is still ranked while Cal is not, raising the stakes for the Bears, who are heading to SoCal this weekend for their first Pac-12 road trip. They’ll take on UCLA on Friday at 6 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion, followed by No. 2 USC on Sunday.
For Cal to be successful against the Bruins, they will have to focus on tightening up their communication in order to prevent errors. The Bears had a sloppy game last Friday against Arizona, but despite 11 errors in the third set alone, the Bears were able to bounce back and take the game in three sets. If Cal wants to keep up with UCLA this Friday, however, it has to get rid of its inconsistent play.
“(We need to) make sure we communicate,” said head coach Rich Feller. “We want to do the little things well and control the tempo of our match to our liking. If we can do all those things as we felt we did against Stanford, then we’re pretty happy.”
Cal will have to rely heavily on its blocking and serving game in order to compete against UCLA’s two-setter offense. This means that the Bruins will have three hitters in the front row at all times, because the setter will come from the back row and join the outside hitters at the net. Because of this, blocking will be critical for the Bears, who need to make efficient blocks in order to slow down the Bruins’ offense.
“We have three hitters to cover, and if you’re not reading (the system) right, then you’re guessing,” Feller said. “And if you’re guessing, you’re not in good shape.”
In order to minimize the guessing, Cal will also have to focus on its serving game. Serving aggressively will give the Bruins fewer options on offense and effectively disorient their system. It also ensures Cal will not have to cover all three hitters at the same time, and it will keep the Bruins more predictable.
The Bears will look to senior setter Joan Caloiaro, who has served 36 aces so far this season, for aggressive serving. Other key factors will be the Bears’ ability to not only block efficiently and serve tough but also to keep up the offensive rallies they were so successful with in the preseason.
Senior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan will lead these offensive strikes, with 161 kills so far this season and an average of 4.35 kills per set. Gehan will be joined by sophomore middle blocker Lara Vukasovic, who ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with a .407 hitting percentage.
If the Bears can focus on all of these little things and bring them together to create fluid play, it might serve as Cal’s chance to get back into the AVCA Top 25 poll after this weekend.
“We’re still learning,” Feller said. “We’re still growing as a team. Obviously, winning makes us happier, but consistently playing well is what we want to make sure we accomplish every night we go out there.”
Alicia Fong covers volleyball. Contact her at [email protected].