UCLA to Get Final Test From Host Penn State

UCLA has won 13 matches in a row, but if the hottest men’s volleyball team in the country is to win a 19th NCAA title today, it must do so on its opponent’s home floor.

The second-seeded Bruins will be facing tournament host Penn State, whose fourth-seeded Nittany Lions on Thursday upset No. 1 UC Irvine, 32-30, 30-23, 31-33, 27-30, 15-13, in the Division I semifinals.

“It’s worth a lot against some opponents, it’s not worth much against us,” Bruin Coach Al Scates said of an opponent’s home-court advantage. “We play some of our best matches against large crowds rooting for the opposition.

“We just beat [second-ranked] Hawaii when they had 6,000 fans and we had 20. We’re going to have at least four times that amount against Penn State.”

The championship match, which starts at 4 p.m. PDT, will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

For the Bruins (25-12) and their 80 fans to return happy, they must offset some powerful hitters who were impressive against Irvine. Even though the Nittany Lions were ranked only 12th nationally, Penn State never trailed in the decisive fifth game.

The Nittany Lions (21-8) are led by Nate Meerstein, the No. 4-ranked hitter in the nation, and Matt Proper, who on Wednesday was named a second-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. The Eastern champion carries a commanding .342 attack percentage, compared with UCLA’s .315.

“That doesn’t matter,” Scates said Friday, a day after defeating Midwestern representative Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne in the semifinals, 30-25, 30-23, 30-28. “We can hold them down. We held IPFW to .187. That’s what we’ve been doing, holding everyone way below their average.”

UCLA swept Penn State on Jan. 19 in Hawaii.

After finishing seventh in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings, UCLA won the conference tournament with victories over three opponents ranked third or higher nationally, including a sweep of No. 1 Irvine at the Bren Center. The Bruins this week are ranked second nationally.