COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK: BRUINS, TROJANS FACE TOUGH ROAD TRIP.

Byline: ERIK BOAL

Special to the Daily News

It will be a homecoming for five USC women's volleyball players and a trio of UCLA athletes who were former prep standouts in Northern California, but a two-day stop in the Bay Area might be the toughest road trip of the season for the Bruins and Trojans.

Fourth-ranked USC (12-0) plays at No. 2 Stanford (12-0) and No. 10 Cal (10-2) plays host to No. 5 UCLA (12-1), both at 7 p.m. today, with the visitors switching venues Friday in one of the most important weeks on the Pacific-10 Conference schedule.

"This is one of my personal favorite trips. It's always a lot of fun," said UCLA junior Kaitlin Sather, a product of Maria Carrillo High in Santa Rosa. "Every year when we sit down and discuss our goals, we talk about winning a national championship, winning a conference title, beating USC and beating Stanford.

"I'm looking forward to (the challenge) and have been for some time now. This will tell us how far we've come (since Nebraska)."

If UCLA has any edge over USC in preparing for the daunting challenge of facing the Golden Bears and Cardinal in consecutive nights, it is that the Bruins have already faced top-ranked Nebraska, suffering a four-game setback in front of 17,000 fans Aug. 25 in Omaha.

"It's definitely an advantage that we're tapping into because we're going to be playing against some big, physical girls who hit a heavy ball," said UCLA senior middle blocker Rachell Johnson, who has helped the Bruins win 11 in a row since the Nebraska loss.

"But it's so tough to play in NorCal. I think it's our toughest road trip because (Cal and Stanford) have such solid teams year after year. It's going to be a dogfight and we're going to have to bring our 'A' game two nights in a row."

That has been easier said than done in recent years for the Bruins, who also boast Nevada Union of Grass Valley graduate Ali Daley and Woodside alumnus Diana Douglas. UCLA last won consecutive matches at Cal and Stanford in 2000.

"Looking at them on tape, they're both bigger and stronger than us, so we're going to have to find a way to win," UCLA coach Andy Banachowski said. "Usually we get better in a match the more we find out what the other team likes to do and the more we get used to them.

"We're not a team that can rely on one individual to carry us. We have to be firing on all cylinders because that's when we've been successful."

A reunion tour: USC expects to have plenty of support in Berkeley and Palo Alto, with Lexi Aiassa, Diane Copenhagen, Jessica Gysin, Bethany Johansen and Chelsea Wilson all playing their high school volleyball within a couple of hours of Cal or Stanford.

But it will also be a reunion for sophomore Taylor Carico and freshmen Zoe Garrett and Kimmee Roleder, who teamed with Stanford freshman Alix Klineman and Cassidy Lichtman on the U.S.Under-20 national team, which competed in the FIVB Junior World Championships in Thailand in July.

The team, which placed fourth in the tournament, was coached by Banachowski.

"It's not a big factor (in terms of preparation or scouting)," Banachowski said. "It will be nice to see them again. I'm looking forward to it."

Bright lights, big opportunities: For Roleder, Garrett and fellow freshman Geena Urango, tonight's match at Stanford will not only present the toughest opposing crowd to play in front of in their young careers, but also their first opportunity to play on TV, as the match will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net on a tape-delayed basis.

"Quite honestly, I don't know what's going to happen. You never do with freshmen," said USC coach Mick Haley, whose team won last season at both Cal and Stanford, the fourth time in the past seven years the Trojans have accomplished the feat.

"I hope (the upperclassmen) will share it with the freshmen about what to expect. But we want to make it fun and we want to make it a great opportunity for our girls. How special is it to have four teams like this (in the same area) in the same weekend, so you can't really lose. We just want to enjoy it."

Road to recovery: The challenge of beating nationally ranked opponents on consecutive nights will be tough enough for USC, but the Trojans might have to do so shorthanded, depending on the status of Copenhagen, a senior outside hitter. The St. Francis of Mountain View graduate has been nursing a pulled abdominal muscle and her status is uncertain for both matches.

"I'm hesitant to play her because I don't want it to get worse and then I lose her for a longer period of time," Haley said. "We're going to compete to win and if Diane doesn't play, then it means other kids just have a chance to step up."

USC already overcame one scare in the first weekend of conference play, rallying from a two-to-one deficit Friday to defeat Arizona in five games.

"I thought Arizona played extremely well and we hung in there and didn't lose our focus," Haley said. "Now, if we're on the road and down 2-1, we're really going to have to battle."

Added firepower: After playing the majority of its nonconference schedule with a limited bench, UCLA is getting healthy at the right time with freshmen Katie Mills and Juliane Piggott becoming regular contributors in the Bruins' rotation.

Mills, who was sidelined early with a back injury, has played in five matches and Piggott, rebounding from mononucleosis, has seen action in 11.

"Having them be able to practice has been a real shot in the arm for us," Banachowski said. "It helps us with our depth and adds strength to our rotation."

[e-mail]

[phone]