Tom Stillwell

Bruins victorious in 21st annual Kilgour Cup.

Feb. 4, 1998

LOS ANGELES - The top-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team defeated arch-rival USC 3-1 Wednesday night in the 21st annual Kilgour Cup at Pauley Pavilion. The victory was UCLA's 12th straight over USC and seventh consecutive in Kilgour Cup matches.

The Trojans surprised the Bruins in Game 1, winning 15-13 after the Bruins held leads of 3-0 and 6-3. A strong USC block and several Bruin miscues contributed to the Trojans' victory.

"We were sluggish in Game 1 and lost our intensity," said Bruins coach Al Scates. "We picked it up [the intensity] after that."

The Bruins swept the next three games 15-3, 15-9, 15-9 to raise their record to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in MPSF play. The Trojans fell to 2-6, 1-5.

Senior quick hitter Tom Stillwell posted his first double-double of the season, spiking 17 kills ( on .640 hitting) and digging 11 balls for the Bruins. Freshman outside hitter Mark Williams, making his second start, and sophomore All-American quick hitter Adam Naeve, who later played opposite, smashed 19 kills apiece to lead the Bruins.

Senior Szilard Kovacs led the Trojans with 22 kills and 10 blocks.

On Sat., Feb. 7, the Bruins travel to the Pyramid to face third-ranked Long Beach State at 7:30 p.m. (PST).

"That will be another tough match for us," said Scates. "They beat us 3-0 in the Fall, so we'll be motivated."
 

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