UH volleyball team still
driven to prove itself
By Cindy LuisStar-Bulletin
Yuval Katz Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Yuval Katz Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
"There's not one team that we've played so far that we fear," said Hawaii setter Erik Pichel, ranked No. 1 nationally in assists. "We don't fear anyone, but there are still doubts and doubters out there. We've proved we can beat some of the best, but until we win the national championship, all we have proved is that we are one of the best.
"I want to get rid of those doubts and the doubters. I want to prove that we are the best."
Pichel and the 17-1 Rainbows put their undefeated conference mark on the line tonight and Saturday against a team that, like Hawaii, also has played in the shadows of a more successful women's program. Seventh-ranked Pacific (12-6, 8-5), a club team just five years ago, has overcome doubts and budget problems to emerge as a contender in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
"They're a tough team," Hawaii coach Mike Wilton said of this week's opponent. "(Coach) Joe Wortmann is doing a great job with a young program. They're a real quality team, with good wins over good teams.
"And they've got a real fine player in Greg Wakeham, who is almost as good statistically as Yuval (Rainbow sophomore Katz). I like their setter (Russell Gan). He's experienced and clever. And their big 6-7 middle (Martin Berkenkamp) is also doing a good job for them."
The 6-7 Wakeham is second behind Katz nationally in kill average, with the 6-2 Katz leading, 7.75 to 7.53 kills per game. The Tigers' Berkenkamp is fifth in the country in blocks, with a 1.72 average per game.
Wakeham had 30 kills and Berkenkamp 22 Tuesday as host Pacific lost to No. 10 Ohio State, 9-15, 15-6, 15-12, 15-13. It was the first time this season the Tigers had dropped two in a row. On March 9, they were swept by host Long Beach State.
Hawaii, pulling out a five-set win last Saturday over Brigham Young, has won four in a row. The Rainbows' only loss was in five games to UCLA on March 2, a match that counted only in the overall record for both teams.
Barring any changes in the current standings, or a loss in the April 20 first-round playoff match, the Rainbows, as the league's top seed, would host the MPSF Tournament April 26-27. The NCAA finals are May 3 and 5 at UCLA.
"Our first goal from the beginning of the season was to host the regional," said Katz, nearly recovered from last week's bout with the flu. "In order to do that, we have to win every match. If we screw up against Pacific or Stanford (April 4 and 6), we might not host the regional.
"That's why we treat every game like it is the most important game of the year. It's not hard to get ready for Pacific. They are a good team, and we have got to play good to beat them."
Physically, the Rainbows are relatively healthy. Hawaii blocker Rick Tune, leading the country in hitting at .512, has been sidelined by the flu but is expected to see some playing time in the Pacific series.
Mentally, Hawaii is feeling healthy as well. Being everyone's target has kept the Rainbows on alert as they try to become only the sixth team to go through the conference season unbeaten.
"We have to be 'up' for every game," said Hawaii junior hitter Aaron Wilton. "I don't think we've peaked and have started to come back down. We started off playing the high-caliber teams, and then our scheduled tapered off. Maybe we've mentally tapered off, but not physically.
"It's hard to keep the intensity up for every game, but we need to get back into it mentally. Just because Pacific is not a UCLA, we still need to prepare for them like we did UCLA. We can't afford to just do what we need to get by, or we could pay for it."
Wilton said he needs only look back to last December, when the Wahine were 31-0 before falling one match short of the final four with a five-set loss to Michigan State. That loss to the Spartans in the regional final ended the career of Wilton's older sister, Jenny.
"That was a traumatic moment for her and our family," said Aaron Wilton.
"It was tough to see. They had played so well, and so well together. I just know that I don't want to experience that feeling, and I'm going to do my utmost to see that it doesn't happen to us."
NOTES: Among potential recruits for next year's Rainbow team is Katz's younger brother, a setter ... In the national statistics, sophomore hitter Sivan Leoni is ninth at .402. Katz is fourth in service ace average, and sophomore hitter Naveh Milo is eighth ... Hawaii leads the country in hitting as a team at .367. ... The first 4,000 fans arriving at the arena for Saturday's 1 p.m. match against Pacific will receive a 5x7 color photo of the Rainbow team.