Posted on: Friday, March 14, 2003

UCLA volleyball planning to peak in playoffs

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

UCLA coach Al Scates admitted to relishing the chance for his men's volleyball team to host Hawai'i today and tomorrow.

Then again, after a rare poor start in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Scates said, "I've circled every conference match on my calendar."

The Bruins, who lost five of their first six MPSF matches, are 8-7 and in a three-way fight for the last two berths in the conference tournament.

Still, Scates remains unfazed, using 22 players this season as part of his long-term plan. Scates said his everybody-plays system will help the Bruins prepare for the MPSF Tournament, which assures the winner a berth in the NCAA final four.

"Ever since the league format changed," Scates said, "and the team with the best (regular-season) league record doesn't become an automatic choice, what you have to do is peak for the playoffs and win three (tournament) matches. That's what we have to do. We're not going (to the final four) as the (regular-season) runner-up."

While acknowledging the reward system motivates a team to play well in the MPSF Tournament, UH coach Mike Wilton scoffed at Scates' reasons for using so many players.

"He's a spin doctor," Wilton said.

Wilton added: "I think he plays people until they do bad, and then he takes them out. ... He plays to win, as most coaches do. If people think he plays a lot of people because he's a good guy, that's baloney. If he's playing a lot of people, it's because someone's not getting it done."

The Bruins might have finally settled on some starters. Scates said middle blocker Scott Morrow is nearly healed from off-season surgery to repair an injured quadriceps.

Scates said the initial procedure did not work, and during the second operation, tendons were fused together.

"Hopefully, by the playoffs, we'll be 100 percent," Scates said.

He said Matt McKinney, a redshirt on the Bruin basketball team, is developing as an opposite hitter. McKinney had split practice time between the teams.

"He hasn't really been an asset for us until this point," Scates said. "We had to help him get into volleyball shape."

Now that McKinney is practicing full-time with the volleyball team, Scates said, "He'll be a pretty good volleyball player."

Wilton said he does not plan any changes in the lineup that has won four of the last five matches.