After three years, Rick McLaughlin’s words have finally sunk into the hard heads of the UCSB men’s volleyball team.
When McLaughlin took over for the retiring Ken Preston, he told the now-senior players that they would win a national championship.
They’ve taking their lumps for the last two years, patiently waiting for that special moment to arrive.
UCSB head coach Rick McLaughlin
It is here, it is now.
UCSB (18-14) plays Ohio State (25-6) for the NCAA national championship Saturday at 4 p.m. at Penn State’s Rec Hall. The match will be shown live on ESPN2.
UCSB has never won a NCAA men’s volleyball title, finishing as the bridesmaid four times, the last time in 1988.
That didn’t matter to McLaughlin. He strongly believed the Gauchos could win the big one.
“He’s been saying that since he came to our program three years ago,” senior Trey Valbuena said of McLaughlin’s national championship talk. “We always believed it and it’s finally here.”
So, what made it all come together for this incredible playoff run? — wins over BYU, Long Beach State and two against top-ranked USC.
“I’d say the main thing throughout this whole run is that we’ve been working more on our side of the net instead of worrying about what (the opponents) are doing on their side,” said senior middle blocker Scott Slaughter. “It’s more like, when we watch our game film, we’re watching for what we can improve on — what are the little things, like serving a little better, passing a little better. It’s those little things I think that have helped us in this run.”
Said McLaughlin during Friday’s press conference: “After working with these guys for two years before that, I knew we had the talent, and I knew they were putting in the work. They committed themselves, and sometimes you have to go through what we went through to get as good as you can get.
“We learned a lot from some tough losses,” he continued. “Not so much this year, but last year. We might have set a record for five-game matches lost. I think we lost eight out of 11 five-game matches, and you learn a lot from that.
“The guys kept at it. They didn’t give up, and after that I thought we had a shot. We knew that this year was the year.”
Added Slaughter: “We had our highs and lows, but we figured as long as we keep going at it, eventually something is going to click and it will play off at the end.”
The Gauchos will be facing an Ohio State team that beat Penn State on its home floor in four sets in Thursday’s semifinals.
Like UCSB, the Buckeyes have never won a NCAA championship in men’s volleyball.
“We have a big challenge ahead of us playing Santa Barbara,” said longtime Ohio State coach Pete Hansen. “They’re playing really, really good volleyball right now.”
Hansen added the key for his team is to play relaxed.
“We’ve kind of always said that when you get to this stage, then you have to relax and play, and let your natural tendencies take over. Hopefully, we will do that and have a fun match.”
Ohio State is led by All-American senior setter Steven Kehoe.
“They serve well and they’ve got a great setter,” McLaughlin said of the Buckeyes. “He’s a guy that knows how to run an offense; he’s really good. And they’ve got some leadership, too, some older guys like we do. I expect them to battle just like we have, because their backs are against the wall, too.”
But it’s all about what’s in their heads.
