by Brice Nixon
Staff Writer
After two straight losses against Mercyhurst College and Loyola University, in which it was swept in three games, the University of La Verne men’s volleyball team looked to regain the form it displayed earlier in the season in matches against three out-of-state opponents, all at home in the Supertents.
Although La Verne has played against the top teams in the nation, the difficulty it has experienced has been due to mental lapses, more than physical ability or talent.
“A lot of it is just mental fatigue,” said head coach Jack Coberly, explaining one reason for his team’s poor play. “I’m just looking for more heart and desire.”
Coberly got what he was looking for. La Verne came away with three victories against tough competition and peaked in Monday’s win against the Rutgers Scarlet Raiders.
ULV won in four games, 14-16, 16-14, 15-11 and 15-8, improving to 8-8 on the season.
“This is by far the most complete game we’ve played all season,” said Coberly. “This is the potential I thought the team can play toward.
“This was the best I’ve ever seen a La Verne team play. I wish the whole student body could’ve seen this game.”
Sophomore Alex Lienert had a match-high and career-high 32 kills and three other La Verne players reached double-figures.
“I think everyone knew how important this game really was to us,” said senior captain Sean Douglas. “Everyone was mentally tough tonight. It was awesome.”
Junior Luis Cruz had 19 kills, Douglas and sophomore Jason Kolodge had 18 and 17, respectively. Lienert and Cruz had six blocks each, and Kolodge had five, including a solo.
“We got the big blocks when we needed it,” said Coberly. “When they … caught up to us, we never committed unforced errors, we kept the ball in play, the block came together, our serves started coming together.”
Senior outside hitter Jeff Pang had four service aces, and junior setter Matt Wright had three, along with 85 assists.
“I think by far … this was his best setting match,” Coberly said of Wright. “He kept our players in the game that were hot and just made the right decisions at the right time for us.
“All the things we’ve really been working on just kind of started happening for us tonight.”
ULV lost the first game, 16-14, with neither team able to go up by more than two points.
La Verne took a quick 8-2 lead in the second game before Rutgers scored six straight to tie it. Later, the Leopards were down 14-12 before coming back with four in a row to win 16-14.
After Rutgers tied the third game, 6-6, La Verne controlled the rest and won, 15-11.
ULV was one up in the fourth game before taking control. A Kolodge block won it, 15-8.
“He’s doing an amazing job for us,” Coberly said of Kolodge, who also had four aces. “He’s by far the hardest hitter on the team. He’s starting to finally get it [his serve].”
ULV came into the match ranked fourth and remained there in last Tuesday’s poll.
After stomping Rutgers, which defeated the three schools ranked above ULV, Coberly said he felt ULV should move up in the polls that come out Tuesday.
In last Thursday’s match against the Columbia Cougars of Missouri, the Leopards flashed signs of what was in store for Rutgers.
ULV defeated Columbia, ranked No. 1 nationally in NAIA, in five games, 11-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-8 and 15-12.
La Verne found itself down 2-0 after the first two games and showed little signs of changing the pattern of recent matches.
But led by the impressive hitting of Lienert and Cruz, the Leopards took the next three games. Lienert had 27 kills and Cruz had 19. Jin Song Zhao dominated for Columbia with a match-high 33 kills.
The first two games followed identical patterns. La Verne took a 4-1 lead, only to see Columbia come back with a series of unanswered points.
The Leopards trailed 11-7 in the third game when Coberly called a timeout. La Verne then reeled off eight straight points, and ULV won 15-11.
Soon after Coberly was issued a yellow card, ULV won four straight points to go up 11-6. La Verne won, 15-8, and pulled even with Columbia at two games apiece.
The Leopards started the decisive fifth game quickly, taking a 3-0 lead helped by a kill and a block by Cruz, who played one of his better matches.
“Luis Cruz came alive tonight,” said Coberly. Cruz, along with Lienert, came up big in the fifth game, which goes to “rally scoring.”
With the score 11-8, La Verne came up with three consecutive blocks to keep the point alive until a kill by Cruz ended it.
Though La Verne was unable to keep Columbia from coming back, the Leopards did not give in and regrouped after a time out. Two kills by Lienert finished off Columbia.
“I’m most pleased the guys hung in there and came back,” said Coberly.
Also contributing to La Verne’s victory was Douglas, who had 13 kills, and Kolodge, who had 12. Lienert had 10 defensive digs, and Wright had 12 to go along with his 56 assists.
ULV defeated the Pirates of Park College in three games Saturday, 15-6, 17-15, 15-10.
But Coberly said he saw room for improvement.
“Our ability to focus on the court and apply ourselves to the task at hand, I think, is my biggest concern,” said Coberly. “When we do that we play real high-level ball.”
ULV’s struggle to maintain focus was best illustrated in the second game. The Leopards held a 13-5 advantage before letting the Pirates, No. 5 in NAIA, come back, even surrendering the lead, 15-14.
The Leopards then scored two straight, with a Cruz kill giving ULV a 17-15 win.
“We played well enough to beat this team tonight,” said Coberly, “but they pretty much defeated themselves. They had a lot of unforced errors.
“Everybody on the team did get a chance to play,” he said, “and that tends to throw timing off. Nevertheless, the guys all have to work together as a team.”
An ace by Douglas won the match for La Verne. Cruz had 15 kills, and Lienert had 12, along with seven blocks.
Brice Nixon
