UCLA Weekly Fall Sports Update: October 31st
By Derek Hart
Bringing all members of UCLA’s Bruin Nation up to date on the sports not including football for this fine Halloween day…
Women’s Volleyball: Had a most outstanding weekend in the Bay Area as they swept both #2 ranked California in Berkeley last Friday and #5 ranked Stanford yesterday in Palo Alto; it was a truly a statement for coach Mike Sealy’s team as they are clearly hitting their peak – or at least starting to.
They were currently ranked sixth in the country, but will definitely move up in the polls; how could they not?
These Bruins now have an overall record of 20-3, the 13th straight year that they have reached that mark, and are tied for first in the pac-12 Conference with a 13-2 mark.
They will next play the Washington schools at the John Wooden Center on UCLA’s campus, always tough Washington this Friday, November 4th, and Washington State on Sunday November 6th.
Women’s Soccer: Beat Utah in Salt Lake City yesterday, 1-0 , on a golden goal by Sydney Leroux in the eighth minute of overtime.
They are now ranked second in the country with an overall record of 14-1-3 , 7-1-2 in the Pac-12, and will have their annual Crosstown War showdown with USC at UCLA’s Drake Stadium this Friday, November 4th.
They’ve had a very good season to this point, but hopefully they know that it will mean nothing if they don’t beat the Trojans – or the Women of Troy as ‘SC calls their women’s teams.
I’m confident that these Bruin ladies understand that and will deliver this Friday night.
Men’s Soccer: Like their female counterparts, they won on a golden goal by Fernando Morge in the second overtime, beating Oregon State 1-0 at Drake Stadium on Sunday.
That leaves these Bruins at 12-4-1 overall, remaining undefeated in the Pac-12 at 7-0. They need one more point – points are won by winning or tying – in their next three games to clinch the Pac-12 title.
Currently ranked 10th and 12th in the different polls, they, like their lady volleyball counterparts this past weekend, will travel to the Bay Area face the Cal Bears in Berkeley on November 4th and the Stanford Cardinal on November 6th.
Men’s Water Polo: Nothing new to report as they didn’t play this past weekend.
They are still the top-ranked team in the nation and will return to action against Pacific on November 4th at Spieker Aquatics Center at UCLA, and will go to La Jolla in the San Diego area to face UCSD on November 6th.
Women’s Golf: Like the men’s water polo team, there’s nothing new to report for this #1 ranked squad either, except that they will be in Hawaii tomorrow and Wednesday, November 1st and 2nd, for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
EDITOR’S/WRITER’S NOTE: When I said that the Women’s Volleyball team will definitely move up in the polls after sweeping California and Stanford on the road, I was proved to not be wrong as those Bruins, as of now, are the number one team in the country.
That makes no less than THREE sports on campus that are top ranked in the nation, as the lady volleyballers join the men’s water polo and women’s golf teams.
It’s a great accomplishment for those ladies, but the challenge is to be number one at the end of the season – in other words, win national championship #108.