NUMBER ONE POSE: The Bruins celebrated in San Antonio with their fl ag and fi ngers telling the story. (Photo: Jeff Huehn/UCLA)
Rachael Kidder, a 6-4 junior outside hitter who was named the tournament’s Most Out- standing Player, eliminated much of the need of the customary analysis. Set the hot hand was a stable strategy. Kidder had 41 kills on 110 swings in the fi nal two matches of the season to get on the short list as one of the Bruins’ all-time post-season greats. She bailed UCLA out of sev- eral tough situations against an Illinois team that had showed a resiliency repeatedly during the season and had rallied from behind in a fi ve-set semifi nal win over Southern California. “I feel like Rachael stole that thing at the end of the table and we’re going to get in trouble,” Sealy said. “It hasn’t set in. I was teasing I haven’t even celebrated the Penn State win yet. Still have to get through Penn State and Texas. Those are surreal. Up 23-11 looking at the scoreboard thinking we’ve got to score real points, gotta score real points. It’s too close.” Kidder’s 71 swings in a four-set match
was a mule’s workload for an established thoroughbred. “(Kidder’s) numbers have been off the charts ever since the playoffs started,” Sealy said. “She had to hit against (Illinois’) best blockers most of the night, getting a lot of swings. And even though her stat line is less than what she probably thinks is good, rarely were they able to really control her hit, dig and
NCAA DIVISION I
WOMEN’S TITLES 1981-2011 Stanford
Penn State UCLA
Hawaii
Long Beach State Nebraska
Southern California Pacifi c Texas
Washington 2011 NCAA
6 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1
FRESH APPROACH: UCLA’s Mike Sealy joined the elite club of coaches who have won an NCAA Division I Championship. (Photo: Jeff Huehn/UCLA)
transition back. Even when they were getting touches, they were stress touches. The fact she was able to take 71 swings, we got a lot of those balls back and were able to transition back at them, that’s huge.” Kidder’s junior season ended the way she hoped. “It feels really good,” she said. “I’m not saying I wasn’t expecting it because I was pretty confi dent the whole year. But it feels great to fi nally bring the program back to what it used to be, and hopefully it will keep going this way in the future.”
Kidder had plenty of help from senior setter
Lauren Van Orden and junior outside hitter Tabi Love. Van Orden, who played her best volley- ball at the end of the season, sought out Kidder during some rough spots in the third set. “She’s a point-scorer for our team, and I
think she’s gotten better at putting us on our back and giving us that energy and leading by example and through situations,” Van Order said. “She really helped me through Set 3 and just kind of carried us through. She’s defi nitely that ‘go-to’ player.”
Illinois had a pair of physical outside hitters in seniors Colleen Ward and Michelle Bartsch, two prized bookends who accounted for 39 of the team’s 59 kills in the championship match. The pair was even more impressive in the semi- fi nal win over University of Southern California with 49 kills.
Sealy was nervous after watching Illinois
STEADY HANDS: Lauren Van Orden was solid in UCLA’s tournament run of six consecutive victories. (Photo: Jeff Huehn/UCLA)
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 39
CHAMPIONSHIP at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Semifi nals: UCLA def. Florida State 25-16, 25-17, 25-21 • Illinois def. Southern California 25-27, 25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 15-10 Final: UCLA def. Illinois 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16
AVCA DIVISION I AWARDS Player of the Year Alex Jupiter | Southern California Coach of the Year Mike Sealy | UCLA
TROJAN HORSE: Alex Jupiter was named the AVCA Division I Player of the Year. (Photo: Steve Moakley/USC)
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