“I thought [the Anteaters] played great coming out,” Banachowski said. “They were more aggressive and served smart and really played great in that first game. They pushed us back on our heels.”
UCI Coach Charlie Brande said his team’s opening-game performance was the best it has played all season.
“With the athleticism we have, we just need to learn to sustain that against a good team,” said Brande, whose team completes tournament play today against Southern Mississippi (11 a.m.) and William & Mary (7 p.m.).
UCI utilized efficient hitting from middle blockers Chelsea Ellis and Kristin Kelley to earn its first game victory over UCLA in their 10 meetings. Ellis, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, had a team-best five kills in seven attempts, without an error, for a .714 hitting percentage in the opening game.
Kelley, a 6-3 senior, had four kills in six tries, also without an error, to produce a .667 hitting percentage.
Sophomore outside hitter Alex Filkins added four first-game kills for the ’Eaters, who hit .306 as a team in the opening game, to UCLA’s .216 clip.
But Brande said UCI’s inability to sustain a consistent passing attack prevented it from continuing to capitalize on its middle attack.
And once the Bruins got going, there was little for the pro-UCI crowd, including members of the NCAA champion men’s volleyball team – dressed mostly in swim trunks and tank tops – to expend much energy over.
“We went away from it,” Brande said of the middle attack, though Kelley finished with a team-leading 13 kills, hitting .296.
