BYU co-head coaches Ryan Millar and Shawn Patchell have never faced UCLA in their current capacity.

But you don't have to tell either former Cougar about what it means to beat the Bruins.

Millar, a two-time Olympian, went 3-5 against UCLA in his career at BYU. One of those wins came in 3-0 sweep in Provo in 1999, where the Cougars posted an jaw-dropping 15-0 victory over the Bruins in Game 2.

Patchell's UCLA history goes even further in the way-back machine. In 1987, Patchell was a freshman on a BYU club team that shocked the Bruins. Then, as a senior (after a redshirt year and serving a mission), Patchell was a key member on the first BYU team to beat UCLA in NCAA play, 3-2 in 1993.

"We were close in the prior years," Patchell recalled. "We had a good game plan and we stuck to it. I remember we kept the pressure on them and let our block have a chance to work for us."

Let this year's battle begin.

No. 2 BYU hosts third-ranked UCLA for two matches this weekend in the Smith Fieldhouse and capacity crowds are expected. Two years ago when UCLA came to Provo a combined 11,701 fans filled the Fieldhouse for the two matches.

"It's nice to play in the Fieldhouse," Patchell said. "I think it's the best place to play in the country. There's going to be some pretty good volleyball played. As long as we keep the ball in the court and take care of our side, I like the matchups."

UCLA is the Alpha Dog of men's college volleyball, having claimed 19 of the 37 NCAA titles awarded since 1970. The Bruins coach is the legendary Al Scates, now in his 45th season at the helm. He's won 84 percent of his matches and 21 overall national titles, including last year's 3-0 sweep of Penn State for the 2006 championship.

Scates is also outspoken and several times has complained about BYU's recruiting of foreign athletes. Meanwhile, UCLA gobbles up all the best volleyball players from California and continues to be one of the country's elite programs.

"This is going to be one of the best matches I'll ever play in," BYU junior outside hitter Ivan Perez said.

UCLA opened the 2007 season 2-1 at the UCSB/Elephant Bar Tournament last weekend, beating Pacific and UCSB before dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 1 UC Irvine. But losses don't phase the Bruins; last year's squad had 12 losses and was the eighth seed heading into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament before getting on a roll and winning the NCAA title.

"They traditionally try and serve the ball hard to get you out of system," Patchell said. "I like our chances if we can pass the ball well."

Steve Klosterman, a 6-foot-7 senior opposite hitter, was the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four last year. He's averaging 4.20 kills per game and is hitting .309. UCLA also returns senior outside hitter Paul George, who leads the team with 4.56 kills per game, and All-American libero Tony Ker.

"They go back and they bomb the jump serve," Patchell said. "They kind of live and die by the jump serve. When they're on, they're tough to beat."

The Bruins had 19 service aces in their three weekend matches. Teams usually struggle at altitude when it comes to serves, especially on their first night in Provo. But Patchell expects UCLA to come out firing, anyway.

"A team like UCLA, they hit the ball hard and with a lot of top spin," he said. "We've seen them serve very well here."

BYU, which took two matches from NAIA power Cal Baptist last week, will counter with a young but talented offensive attack. The Cougars will be at full strength this week with the return of 6-8 sophomore outside hitter Yosleyder Cala and 6-6 freshman middle blocker Rodnei Santos, who were suspended for last week's matches.

"They'll definitely play," Patchell said. "We have confidence in both of those guys."

BYU was able to showcase its depth last week, starting four freshmen against Cal Baptist. Opposite Robby Stowell was outstanding in his first collegiate action, collecting four kills per game and hitting .417. Perez had a strong weekend as well (3.71 kpg, .488) and junior middle blocker Russell Holmes averaged 1.57 blocks per game.

"We got guys some playing time and showed we're able to go three deep or more on the bench," Patchell said. "But we can't be as sloppy at the service line as we were against Cal Baptist."

One thing for sure is the Fieldhouse will be filled to the rafters. The top all-time crowds (against Hawaii twice and Long Beach State once) were achieved in the Marriott Center. The top five Smith Fieldhouse crowds are all UCLA matches and the record for attendance in the Fieldhouse was a 2001 match with 6,119 -- against UCLA.

Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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