STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Steve Klosterman and Damien Scott
helped UCLA win its NCAA-record 19th volleyball title Saturday,
leading the Bruins to a 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 victory over Penn
State.
Klosterman had 14 kills and seven digs and Damien Scott added 12
kills for the Bruins (26-12) in their 14th straight victory.
Matt Proper led the Nittany Lions (21-9) with 13 kills and Dan
O'Dell had a game-high 39 assists for the Lions, who hit just 15.7
percent. In contrast, UCLA hit almost 30 percent and finished with
16 blocks to Penn State's nine.
Trailing 19-12 in the second game, the Bruins used two 5-1 runs
and took their first lead at 28-27 on Klosterman's ace. UCLA scored
the final four points to take the game.
In the third game, the Bruins and Lions traded points early
before Penn State grabbed a three-point lead at 23-20 on a UCLA net
violation. From there, UCLA got kills from Klosterman, Scott and
Nick Sheftic to pull ahead 29-25,
UCLA made its 24th appearance in the title game, also a record,
despite starting just 12-12 and having the second-most losses ever
for a Bruins team. The 12 losses are the most ever for an NCAA
champion since the start of the tournament in 1970.