CARLSBAD – Nobody knows the pain of rising gas prices better than the Machado family. Throughout the college volleyball season, which began in September and ends with the NCAA postseason in November, former La Costa Canyon volleyball coach Ed Machado and his wife, Zee, will burn up the West Coast's highways following their daughters, Jade and Jazmin.

The women, both CIF champions and All-CIF honorees when they played for their dad at LCC, are now chasing NCAA hardware as members of the UCLA women's volleyball team, ranked fifth in the country.

And Ed and Zee have been there to see nearly every pass, set and spike.

“Our parents have been on the road a lot,” Jade said. “I think our dad has missed one match and our mom has been to every one.”

That road has had its bumps. When Jade, now a junior, arrived in Westwood as a freshman setter from the best high school team in San Diego, she found plenty of competition at her position, namely Nellie Spicer, who grabbed the starting job along with Pacific-10 All-Freshman Team honors.

Suddenly, Jade needed a new position.

“I had a little disadvantage as a setter, because I'm only 5-foot-7,” Jade said. “When you're trying to block those 6-foot-5 hitters in the front row, they basically just hit over you. When (head coach Andy Banachowski) gave me the chance to play defensive specialist, I was really excited. I hadn't been serve receive since I was 12.”

But while Jade was learning a new position at a new school, the rest of her family was still in Encinitas, where Ed and Jazmin were racking up two more CIF titles.

“It was hard,” Jade said. “I love having my family with me.”

Ed said he was just as frustrated.

“It was killing me,” he said. “There were times when I said, 'Gosh, can I miss practice on Friday (to watch UCLA play)?' But I had an obligation to LCC.”

The teams' conflicting schedules kept Ed from watching his older daughter play until he followed her to a game in Arizona in the middle of November.

Not that the distance kept Ed from sneaking up the road for an occasional Bruins home match or Jade from imparting some big-sister wisdom to Jazmin, who already had her eyes set on UCLA.

“It was a lot about remembering that your coaches are always watching,” Jazmin said. “You should always be fighting, because there are 16 other girls who want your position.”

Two years later, Jade's transformation from setter to back-row standout is complete. She had a career-high 20 digs against No. 10 California on Sept. 27 and followed up that performance with 19 digs against No. 2 Stanford on Sept. 28.

She said the credit goes to Ed, who left LCC to watch Jade and Jazmin in action at home and away matches, even in rural locations such as Pullman, Wash., against Washington State.

“He didn't make people play particular positions, he just made volleyball players,” Jade said. “Everybody got to do all the drills, and I don't think I would have been able to (change positions) without that.”

Meanwhile, Jazmin is following in her sister's footsteps even more closely than she expected. Also a setter, Jazmin has played in 15 of the Bruins' matches, mostly as a defensive specialist.

“I've really enjoyed playing back row and working on my passing,” she said. “I'm here to play whatever position they need me to play.”

Of course, she's also made good use of advice from her upperclassman sister.

“I told her that the freshmen have to set up the nets here, and she has to do all the (freshman) jobs,” Jade said. “She does it all, and everybody always says she's the best freshman ever.”

As for their parents, Ed still remembers a conversation with John Rulon, whose daughters, Kelly and Katie, graduated from Cathedral Catholic and play for the UCLA women's water polo team.

“He said, 'Ed, you're blowing it,' ” Machado said. “'You're going to regret (missing Jade's games) for the rest of your life.' When they got to play against Nebraska in front of 10,500 and on TV, it doesn't get any better than that.”

With the Pac-10 regular season under way, the 13-2 Bruins have 14 more matches before the postseason begins, and Ed and Zee will be on the road watching every point.

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