No. 24 UCLA Women's Volleyball (16-12, 9-9) to Face Pepperdine in NCAA Tournament at UCSB

UCLA's "Irresistible Force" Finishes Third at Pacific's Community Bankers Classic

Saturday, Dec. 6  vs. No. 17 Pepperdine   @ UCSB    8:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7  Winner vs. No. 5 UCSB               7:00 p.m.

Radio Coverage For NCAA Tournament
The Bruins' NCAA tournament matches this weekend will be broadcast on KIEV Radio (870 AM). Saturday's match vs. Pepperdine at UCSB will be aired on a delay basis, following the Pepperdine basketball game, starting at 9 p.m. Should UCLA win on Saturday, Sunday's match against UCSB will be carried live at 7 p.m. Lou Riggs and Michael Sondheimer will be calling the action. UCLA's NCAA Tournament History

UCLA is making its 16th appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament after missing last season for the only time in school history. Altogether, UCLA is making its 27th post-season appearance.

The Bruins have won six national titles, three of those (1991, 1990, 1984) since NCAA play began. In addition, UCLA has finished as runner-up four times in NCAA play and seven overall.

UCLA has advanced to the NCAA Championship Final Four 10 times in its previous 16 appearances and all told the Bruins have reached the final four 21 times in 27 overall post-season appearances.

UCLA owns a 10-1 record in NCAA first and second round action and earned byes into the regional four of the first five years of NCAA play. UCLA's only first round loss was to Loyola Marymount in 1986 at home.

The Championship Bracket Format
The field for the 1997 Championship Tournament consists of 56 teams, 26 automatic qualifiers, 2 play-in qualifiers and 28 at-large selections. The top- eight teams are seeded nationally into four regions and receive first round byes. The single-elimination, best three-of-five game match championship structure has 16 first and second round matches scheduled to be played Dec. 4-7. Winners advance to four regional tournaments (Dec. 11-14) also to be played on the campus of competing institutions. The four regional winners will meet for the championship Dec. 18 and 20 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington with Washington State University serving as host.

The top-eight seeds for the tournament are: 1. Penn State, 2. Long Beach State, 3. Stanford, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Florida, 6. UC Santa Barbara, 7. Nebraska and 8. Brigham Young.

UCLA's NCAA Results History vs. The Region
vs. Pepperdine (2-0)
12/1/89   W 3-1 (9-15,15-10,15-6,15-4)    First Round @ UCLA
12/6/91   W 3-0 (15-3,15-8,15-11)         First Round @ UCLA
    
vs. UC Santa Barbara
Never Played in NCAA Tournament
    
vs. Texas
12/9/84   W 3-1 (15-17,15-11,15-13,16-14)      Regional Final @ Texas
12/14/85  W 3-0 (15-8,15-10,15-11)             Regional Final @ Texas
12/15/88  L 0-3 (14-16,11-15,13-15)            NCAA Semifinals @ Minnesota
    
vs. Arizona
12/8/89   W 3-0 (15/11,16-14,16-14)            Regional Semifinal @ UCLA
    
vs. Colorado
    Never Played in NCAA Tournament
    
vs. Houston
12/9/94   W 3-0 (15-5,15-7,15-12)              Regional Final @ Florida
    
vs. Stanford
12/12/81  W 3-2 (4-15,15-10,15-10,10-15,15-3)  Regional Final @ BYU
12/16/84  W 3-2 (15-12,7-15,15-10,9-15,15-13)  NCAA Championship @ UCLA
12/8/90   W 3-0 (15-10,15-8,15-12)             Regional Final @ UCLA
12/13/91  W 3-0 (15-2,15-12,16-14)             Regional Final @ Stanford
12/19/92  L 1-3 (8-15,9-15,15-6,10-15)         NCAA Championship @ New Mexico
12/9/93   W 3-1 (15-11,12-15,15-5,15-10)       Regional Semifinal @ UCLA
12/17/94  L 1-3 (10-15,15-5,14-16,13-15)       NCAA Championship @ Texas

This Week's Series

vs. Pepperdine
Overall: UCLA leads 39-5
This Year: UCLA and Pepperdine faced off last week in the consolation round of
the Banker's Classic in Stockton Calif. The No. 24 Bruins came away with the 3- 1 upset over the 13th-ranked Waves.
Notable: UCLA owns an 11-0 record when playing Pepperdine at a neutral site.
In NCAAs: UCLA is 2-0 against Pepperdine in NCAA post-season play. The Bruins defeated the Waves in 1989 (3-1) and 1991 (3-0), both times in NCAA
first-round matches at UCLA.

vs. UC SANTA BARBARA
Overall: UCLA leads 59-7
This Year: The Gauchos defeated the Bruins 3-1 on October 14 in Santa Barbara.
Notable: UCSB's win over UCLA earlier this season was its first win over UCLA since a 3-2 decision over the Bruins back in 1987.
In NCAAs: UCLA has never played UCSB in the NCAA tournament. The two teams faced off five times in post-season play prior to NCAA tournament competition, with the Bruins owning a 4-1 advantage.

Pepperdine Notes
Ranking: No. 17 USA Today/AVCA, No. 17 Volleyball mag
Record: 23-5 Overall; 12-2 WCC
Most Recent: The Waves dropped their fourth and fifth matches of the season with two upset losses at the Banker's Classic this past weekend in Stockton. Ranked No. 13 at match time Pepperdine fell 2-3 to then-No. 17 Pacific in the opening round of the tournament. It was No. 24 UCLA who handed the Waves their fifth loss of the season with a solid 1-3 loss in the tournament's consolation round.

Player: Senior outside hitter Nicole Sanderson became the Waves' all-time kill leader last weekend and has accumulated 2,009 kills entering the post-season. The team leader in both kills and aces, Sanderson is a four-time All-West Coast Conference selection.

Coach: Former UCLA player ('74-'75) and assistant coach, Nina Matthies is in her 15th year as the Waves head coach with a career record of 266-199.

UC Santa Barbara Notes
Ranking: No. 5 USA Today/AVCA, No. 6 Volleyball mag
Record: 30-4 Overall; 14-2 Big West
Most Recent: The Gauchos competed in the Long Beach State Thanksgiving Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. UCSB won both its matches against Notre Dame (3-1) and Louisville (3-0) en route to a share of the tournament crown with No. 1 Long Beach State.

Player: UC Santa Barbara is led by outside hitter Katie Crawford. Recently named to the Big West All-Tournament Team, Crawford registered a career-high 33 kills this past weekend against Notre Dame, putting her over the 1,000-kill mark for her career. She is also the Big West leader in blocks with 50 solo and 124 block assists. As a squad, 1997 marked the third time UCSB has surpassed the 30-win mark as a team. Including Crawford, UCSB had three other players make the Big West All-Conference squad: Tanja Hart, Roberta Gehlke and Heather Bown.

Coach: Also a member of the National Volleyball Hall of Fame, Kathy Gregory was inducted as a player. She is in her 22nd year as the head coach at UCSB and owns a career record of 569-256 entering the post-season.

Last Week - UCLA Takes Third At Bankers Classic
UCLA closed the regular-season and kept its post-season hopes alive by taking third in the prestigious 19th Annual Community Bankers Classic at University of the Pacific over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Nov. 28 - In the opening round of the Community Bankers Classic at UOP, No. 24 ranked UCLA battled, but fell 3-0 (15-13, 15-12, 15-10) to No. 6 Florida. The Bruins hit .307 as a team, but allowed the Gators to hit .349 as Florida also held the advantage in blocking 13-6. Kara Milling led four Bruins in double figures as she posted 23 kills and hit .320. Kim Coleman provided 53 assists, led the squad with 16 digs and added six kills. Tamika Johnson notched 11 kills without an error as she hit .440. Two Florida players notched 20-plus kills as Aurymar Rodriguez collected 25 and Jenny Manz 21.

Nov. 29 - In the consolation match, No. 24 UCLA kept its post-season hopes alive with a solid 3-1 (15-8, 15-7, 11-15, 15-6) victory over No. 13 Pepperdine. The Bruins hit .344 as a team and held a 12-8 advantage in blocks. Kara Milling's 25 kills and .512 hitting percentage led five Bruins in double figures. Kim Coleman notched a triple-double as she totaled 62 assists, 11 kills and 12 digs. Tamika Johnson drilled 15 kills and tied her season high with eight assisted blocks. Pepperdine was led by Nicole Sanderson who hit .396 and totaled 29 kills and 12 digs.

Check It Out - Bruins Continue To Lead Statistics (as of 11/26)

In the most recent edition of the national statistics, UCLA continued to lead the nation in two major statistical categories - kills (18.69) and assists (17.44). The Bruins rank 13th in blocks (3.18) per game after leading that category for two weeks earlier in the season.

The Bruins also continue to boast the individual statistical leader in assists per game and hold the third spot in kills. Kim Coleman tops the charts in assists with a 15.17 average. In the kill category, the Bruins' leader Kara Milling slipped to the number three slot in the country with a 5.73 kills per game average.

Coach Banachowski - Volleyball Hall of Fame Inductee
UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, Mass. on Friday, Oct. 24. The award is in recognition of Banachowski's lasting contributions to the history and development of the sport of volleyball.

Banachowski is the all-time winningest coach in women's volleyball history, entering his 31st season at UCLA with a record of 812-175. He has led the Bruins to six national championships, including three NCAA titles, and placed among the top-four nationally 21 times. The list of awards and accomplishments is extensive for both Andy and his players.

The 1997 induction class also includes Pedro "Pete" Velasco as a player and Albert Monaco, Jr., as a leader.

Banachowski is the first women's coach to be inducted into the National Hall of Fame as a collegiate coach. Other collegiate coaches inducted include UCLA's Al Scates and Ball State's Don Shondell, both men's coaches. Women's collegiate coaches already in the Hall of Fame include Kathy Gregory and Debbie Green who were both inducted as players.

Coach Banachowski was not able to attend the induction ceremony as the Bruins played host to Washington State in an important Pac-10 Conference match that night. He was represented at the ceremony by his brother, Alex. Pac-10 Conference Places Six Teams In NCAA Field

The Pac-10 is one of three conferences to have six teams selected to this year's womens' volleyball tournament. The Big-10 and Big-12 also received six selections.

Pac-10 Conference Champion Stanford is the top-seed in the Mountain region, where UCLA and Arizona will also compete. Arizona, which UCLA defeated in its final conference match, faces Oral Roberts in the first round. Stanford hosts the Oklahoma vs. Houston match before facing that matches' winner. Pac-10 foe Washington State was moved to the Central region and will host Lehigh in the first round. Pac-10 opponents Washington and USC both landed in the Pacific region. USC will host Morgan State in the first round, while Washington hosts Chattanooga.

Hefty Schedule - UCLA Foes Abound In National Rankings
UCLA plays one of the toughest schedules in the country year in and year out. One reason for that is the power-packed Pac-10 Conference. Six Pac-10 schools made the NCAA field and currently rank among the AVCA top-25. In addition, the Bruins regularly play non-conference opponents who also carry large rankings.

With 12 losses this season, it is important to note 11 of those were to ranked teams and the other to a team receiving votes at the time who has now moved into the rankings.

Although UCLA suffered its worse losing streak in school history this season, all five of those losses were to top-25 teams and four were to squads listed among the top-10 in the nation. The five-match slide started with a non- conference loss at No. 7 UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 14 and ended when the Bruins defeated Cal on Nov. 1.

UCLA Brief Season Recap
With one of the nation's top recruiting classes and a surplus of talented letterwinners returning, the 1997 season looked to be one of the most promising seasons in recent years for UCLA women's volleyball. Returning World University Games participants senior outside hitter Kara Milling and sophomore middle blocker Elisabeth Bachman were set to lead the preseason No. 21 Bruins to an unforgettable year. However, UCLA received its first blow of the season early on when it learned that Bachman would have to miss the season due to an injury in her right wrist. Talented newcomers would have to step in and produce if UCLA was to return to the NCAA tournament.

A strong start with wins over Houston, North Carolina and an impressive sweep over No. 11 Hawai'i in the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic earned the Bruins the tournament crown and a strong start on the '97 season. In that tournament, seniors Kim Coleman and Tanisha Larkin were named to the all-tournament team, while All-American candidate Milling earned tournament MVP honors.

Next up for UCLA would be a pair of splits. First in Texas, the Bruins fell to No. 12 Texas in four games and swept Baylor. Then in its home opener, UCLA suffered a tough five-game loss to No. 15 Arizona before sweeping Arizona State the following evening. A trip to Washington the following weekend proved just how tough the Pac-10 Conference would be, as UCLA dropped both matches to the Washington schools. After starting the year strong, the 6-5 Bruins needed a big week as San Diego State, Oregon and Oregon State all awaited a shot at the six-time NCAA Champions. UCLA would run off one of four three-match streaks of the season by sweeping SDSU and Oregon, then defeating Oregon State 3-2. However, just as quickly as the Bruins won three, UCLA would face its toughest stretch of the season, with five highly ranked opponents in the last part of October. The Bruins eventually dropped matches to UC Santa Barbara, Washington State, Washington and Stanford, including a tough five-game battle with crosstown rival USC.

With a 9-10 record, the Bruins entered the home stretch of the season with the goal of finishing strong and making a run for the 1997 NCAA Tournament. UCLA would win seven of its last nine matches, including impressive victories at No. 9 Arizona and over No. 13 Pepperdine as Milling earned tournament honors at the Banker's Classic in Stockton, Calif.

Six Bruins would earn all-conference honors as Milling was chosen First Team All-Pac-10 and seniors Kim Coleman and Tanisha Larkin received honorable mention. Freshman Amy Nihipali was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and Celeste Peterson and Michelle Quon were honorable mention all-freshman selections. The Bruins ended the season with a 16-12 record and its 16th NCAA Tournament bid.

Milling Leads UCLA's All-Pac-10 Volleyball Selections
When the Pac-10 Conference announced its all-conference women's volleyball selections Nov. 25, senior opposite hitter Kara Milling's first team selection led the list of six Bruins garnering recognition. Receiving honorable mention All-Pac-10 status are fellow seniors Kim Coleman and Tanisha Larkin.

The Bruins' three All-Freshman Team selections were led by Amy Nihipali who was chosen to the six-member squad. Receiving honorable mention All-Freshman recognition are Celeste Peterson and Michelle Quon.

Coleman Tallies 3,000th Assist - Climbs To Career No. 3
Senior setter Kim Coleman became only the fourth Bruin in history to surpass the 3,000 mark in career assists when she provided 35 in a loss at USC on Nov. 14. Coleman moved into third place on the UCLA career list, surpassing Kelly Flannigan's 3,174 and enters the post-season with 3,295 thus far. Next on the list is Julie Bremner's 4,089.

Currently the nation's assist leader with a 15.26 per game average, Coleman is already fourth on the UCLA singles-season chart with 1,541 and is on track to break the all-time Pac-10 Conference record for a assists average in a season held by UCLA's Julie Bremner.

Coleman has already entered her name on the elite performance list six times for matches with 70-plus assists - all this season. Only Ann Boyer, who set for the Bruins from 1985-88, has as many 70-plus assists matches and those were over three seasons of her UCLA career. Coleman also became only the fourth UCLA player in history to surpass the 80-mark in assists when she established a new career-high of 81 vs. Cal on Oct. 3.

Rewriting Records . Milling Notches 1,600th Kill
Senior outside hitter Kara Milling reached a career milestone on Nov. 7 by surpassing the prestigious 1,500 mark in career kills. She then eclipsed the 1,600 mark at Arizona on Nov. 22. Entering the post-season with 1,655 career kills Milling recently moved into the No. 4 slot on the UCLA career kill list behind Elaine Young's 1,664.

Milling became the first player in UCLA history to register 30 kills in a four game match etching her name into the history book as the record holder in that category.

The history book continues to have Milling's name added throughout as she registered the second 20/20 elite performance club entry of her career with 21 kills and 20 digs against Oregon State on Nov. 7.

The career top-10 lists now have Milling's name added in another category as she climbed past Natalie William's 931 into the No. 10 position in career digs. She enters this week with 953 career digs, right behind No. 9 Daiva Tomkus with 966. Currently third on the team with a 2.87 per game dig average, Milling has a chance to reach 1,000 before season's end.

Weekly National Polls
USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25
Rank   School
 1.    Long Beach State
 2.    Penn State
 3.    Stanford
 4.    Wisconsin
 5.    UC Santa Barbara
 6.    BYU
 7.    USC
 8.    Florida
 9.    Nebraska
10.    Arizona
11.    Washington State
12.    Texas
13.    Washington
14.    Pacific
15.    Hawai`i
16.    Texas A&M
17.    Pepperdine
18.    Arkansas
19.    Maryland
20.    Colorado
21.    Colorado State
22.    Loyola Marymount
23.    San Diego
24.    UCLA
25.    Ohio State
Volleyball magazine Top 20
Rank   School
 1.    Stanford
 2.    Long Beach State
 3.    Penn State
 4.    Wisconsin
 5.    Brigham Young
 6.    UC Santa Barbara
 7.    Florida
 8.    USC
 9.    Arizona
10.    Nebraska
11.    Hawai`i
12.    Washington State
13.    Texas A&M
14.    Texas
15.    Pacific
16.    Washington
17.    Pepperdine
18.    San Diego
19.    Arkansas
20.    Maryland

UCLA in the Weekly Polls
Date    AVCA    VB mag
PS       21       12
 9/01    21       11
 9/07    19       10
 9/15    17       11
 9/22    18       14
 9/29    21       18
10/05    21       18
10/13    22       16
10/20    23       17
10/27    24       RV
11/04    25       RV
11/11    24       NR
11/17    25       NR
11/24    24       NR
12/01    24       RV

UCLA Lineup
Setter          - Coleman    
Opposite Hitter - Milling
Outside Hitters - Larkin / Peterson
Middle Blockers - Nihipali / Johnson
Specialists     - Quon / Morris

Bruins Among the Pac-10 
Individual Statistical Leaders
Hitting Percentage
8.  Kim Coleman   138-32-338    .314
Kills Avg.
1.  Kara Milling (3) 587   5.81
Assists Avg.
1.  Kim Coleman (1) 1541  15.26
Service Aces Avg.
 2. Kara Milling      40   0.40
10. Celeste Peterson  22   0.28
Total Blocks Avg.   
10. Tamika Johnson   112   1.23
Digs Avg.
3.  Kim Coleman      324   3.21
5.  Tanisha Larkin   296   3.02
9.  Kara Milling     287   2.84
UCLA Among the Pac-10
Team Statistical Rankings
Team Hitting Percentage
4.  UCLA         1910-809-4570  .241
Team Kills Avg.
1.  UCLA (1)     1910     18.91
Team Assists Avg.
1.  UCLA (1)     1776     17.58
Team Service Aces Avg.
9.  UCLA          121      1.20
Team Blocks Avg.
4.  UCLA (13)     316.5    3.13
Team Digs Avg.
1.  UCLA         1710     16.93

UCLA Leader Lists Updates
Kara Milling
Career Kills - 4th - 1655 
    next up: Elaine Youngs - 1664
Career Attacks - 3rd - 3886
    next up: Natalie Williams - 4263
Career Digs - 9th - 970
    next up: Annett Buckner - 1047
Season Kills - 6th - 587
    next up: Liz Masakayan - 595
Season Attacks - 4th - 1261
    next up: Natalie Williams - 1330
Season Hit Pct. - 8th - .303
    (minimum 500 attempts)
    next up: Natalie Williams - .326
Kim Coleman
Career Assists - 3rd - 3295
    next up: Julie Bremner - 4089
Season Assists - 4th - 1541
    next up: Julie Bremner - 1575

Pac-10 Team Records
Entering Post-season 
                     Conference  Overall
    School              W-L        W-L
 1  Stanford           18-0       28-2
 2  USC                13-5       21-5
    Washington         13-5       18-9
 4  Washington State   12-6       24-6
    Arizona            12-6       20-6
 6  UCLA                9-9       16-12
 7  Oregon State        5-13      14-17
 8  Arizona State       4-14      13-16
 9  California          3-15       8-19
10  Oregon              1-17       9-21

Complete UCLA Injury Report