Irrespective of how this season seems, as UCLA heads into the house stretch and vies for an NCAA Event bid, what a whirlwind of a 12 months it’s been for Alfee Reft.
And in the course of all of it there was this one five-week stretch the place he alternated between his UCLA program and the USA ladies’s nationwide staff because it ready for after which qualifiied for the Olympcs.
“It was probably the most challening factor that I’ve carried out professionally, however most likely probably the most rewarding and fulfilling,” Reft stated. “And I actually imply this, if you get to work with folks like Karch and Tama (Miyashiro) and Erin (Advantage) and Marv (Dunphy) and coming right here to UCLA the place we’re constructing one thing so nice and have equally a terrific employees,” he paused and laughed, “I attempt to not take numerous time to consider the rigor of what we’re doing however there’s a lot objective on the road it retains you going.
“So I haven’t thought so much about what that was, you’re simply placing one foot in entrance of the opposite.”
Eleven months in the past, Reft capped a three-season run as an assistant at San Diego with that program’s first journey to the NCAA nationwide semifinals.
4 days later, he acquired his first head-coaching job, taking up the storied UCLA program.
That was only the start.
Along with UCLA, Reft is certainly one of Karch Kiraly’s USA national-team assistants. He joined the USA program after the People gained gold in Tokyo. And all that entailed this 12 months was taking part in Volleyball Nations League (in Türkiye, Brazil, Korea and Arlington, Texas); the NORCECA Ladies’s Continental Championship in Quebec Metropolis, Canada; and, lastly, the FIVB Highway to Paris Volleyball Qualifier in Lodz, Poland, at which the USA gained and certified for the 2024 Olympics.
Nevertheless it wasn’t that straightforward for Reft, who through the NORCECA match missed UCLA matches, after which missed extra through the qualifying match.
We visited with him final week in Pullman, Washington, earlier than the Bruins performed Washington State.
VNL led to on July 16, at which level Reft acquired again to UCLA, six weeks earlier than the beginning of the NCAA season.
UCLA observe started in early August and on the identical the USA ladies have been getting ready for NORCECA.
Reft started his faculty profession at UC Santa Barbara and completed at Hawa’i, the place he was a standout libero for coach Carl McGown. He performed professionally for seven years, from Montegro to Portugal to France, and constructed up time as a participant and coach within the USA fitness center on each the lads’s and ladies’s sides. Reft was an assistant at Minnesota beneath Hugh McCutcheon and for Chris Tamas at Illinois earlier than heading to San Diego and dealing for Jen Petrie.
“I used to be lucky sufficient to be round some nice leaders,” Reft stated. “At the same time as I used to be taking part in I used to be at all times teaching. I used to be in it.”
So he was prepared for his first faculty head-coaching job.
The Bruins opened their season at LSU with back-to-back five-set outcomes, dropping the primary and successful the second. After a visit just a few hours north to comb Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana, they headed house for 2 matches at Lengthy Seaside State, the place they beat Indiana and the house staff. Reft, slightly, headed to Quebec Metropolis for NORCECA, leaving UCLA to be coached by assistants Jen Malcom and Amir Lugo-Rodriguez.
The USA misplaced to the Dominican Republic within the NORCECA closing.
“It was difficult. We misplaced that NORCECA match and put us again on the drafting board,” Reft stated. “It was difficult being per week out from the Olympic qualifier.”
Reft flew to Honolulu as UCLA went to Hawai’i and beat Pepperdine, Liberty and Hawai’i.
“And after that I went straight to Poland,” he stated. “It was a forwards and backwards for about 5 weeks.”
The USA ladies dominated in Poland, clinching their spot in Paris on September 24. Throughout that match, UCLA misplaced at Oklahoma in 5, beat the Sooner in 4, misplaced in 5 to USC and acquired swept at Oregon.
The USA was excellent within the qualifier, dropping solely to Poland, once more with a staff that was frequently utilizing completely different lineups.
“NORCECA confirmed us numerous issues we needed to get higher at actually shortly, or not less than who us how we needed to maneuver some items round, however we knew we had the items,” Reft stated.
“We acquired to Poland and we felt good about our beginning seven and we knew we had a supporting forged that might actually assist us.”
The USA misplaced Micha Hancock on the final minute to a concussion, so Lauren Carlini dealt with the setting duties all through. Veteran Jordan Larson, star of the Tokyo Olympics who didn’t play VNL, was a welcome addition.
“I believe everybody performed their roles very well, whether or not they have been starters or recreation changers, as Karch likes to name them. Everybody understood what their function was.”
Reft had his personal, each with the nationwide staff and UCLA.
“After I took the job at UCLA I used to be actually clear with my administration about my loyalties and dedication to the USA program,”Reft stated. “And I used to be lucky that my supervisors and administration have been all in on that. There have been supportive. After which once I employed my employees that they had to have the ability to run the present and Jen and Amir have in depth expertise.”
Malcom, who performed at Syracuse and completed at Iowa State, coached at Virginia Tech, Tennessee and for the earlier 4 years again at Iowa State. Lugo-Rodriguez, who starred at Lengthy Seaside State, performed for the USA and was an assistant at Cal and the previous two years at Northwestern.
Their UCLA staff is 16-10 general, 8-8 within the Pac-12. Within the final NCAA RPI the Bruins have been ranked No. 42, however in Thursday’s up to date Figstats RPI, they have been as much as 38. However after that aforementioned loss at Oregon in late September, they have been 8-4, 0-2.
Now they’re coming off a three-match successful streak after beating last-place Arizona, successful in 5 at No. 12 Washington State and successful in 4 at Washington.
Senior Iman Ndiaye has stepped up in an enormous method and leads UCLA with 305 kills (3.08 kills/set). Three others are proper behind, sophomore Grayce Olson and (239 kills), sophomore Cheridyn Leverette (238 kills) and senior center Anna Dodson (214 kills, third within the Pac-12 in hitting share, .388), who leads with 121 blocks, 21 solo. Desiree Becker had 112 blocks, 15 solo, to go along with 136 kills. The firepower is actually there and junior libero Peyton Dueck is greater than succesful. The setter is senior Audrey Pak, who’s averaging 7.14 assists, averages higher than a dig a set and has 61 blocks.
UCLA closes the common season with house matches in opposition to No. 2 Stanford and Cal earlier than going to Oregon State and USC.
“I believe our gamers have actually purchased in. Everybody talks about course of, however we had an honest begin initially of the 12 months, we hit a lull initially of Pac, and that might have been a make-or-break time for us. We had some actual robust losses, however I believe the staff actually believed,” Reft stated.
“I’m not an enormous hope-as-a-strategy man, however they really believed that the work that they put in over a cumulative time was going to repay. Earlier than these final three weeks the staff was simply grinding within the fitness center,” Reft stated. “I believe they’re cashing in on a cumulative work over prolonged time. However on the finish of the day now we have to execute in opposition to some actually good groups down the stretch. However now we have the idea.”