Dave Deuser parlayed an unplanned chat with Mike Wilton into an invitation to Hawaii. Today and tomorrow, the Lewis University men's volleyball coach will find out if the conversation -- and the trip to face Wilton's Rainbows -- was worth it.
Deuser's Flyers have erupted onto the national scene, much like Loihi. Only Lewis has surfaced quicker than the newest Hawaiian island, taking just three years to reach the final four.
The obscure school from Illinois is currently ranked 10th, with a 16-5 record. On a recent trip to California, the Flyers defeated Cal State Northridge and San Diego State, while also taking UCLA to five before falling, 24-22.
Are the 11th-ranked Rainbows (9-7) concerned? After splitting with Cal State Northridge, Hawaii just wants to remain in the postseason hunt.
The matches with Lewis might be the answer. Midway through the season, the Rainbows need to start playing well. The loss to the Matadors last Friday was a wake-up call that pushed senior Curt Vaughan back into the starting lineup after a brief experiment with junior Kahinu Lee at setter.
"Kahinu was doing well, he wasn't the reason we played poorly the first night against Northridge," Wilton said of the 3-2 loss. "But it's easier to change one guy than five. The next night, not only did Curt play well but I thought the team played well (winning 3-1). Curt played probably the best he has in four years. That's something to build on."
The Flyers could just as easily force another reconstruction. Lewis features left-handed setter Doug McBride, who is fourth in the nation in assist average and sixth in hitting percentage (.453).
Leading the Flyers' attack is sophomore blocker Victor Rivera, 12th in digs nationally and 15th in block average. Senior hitter Bart Bachorski leads the country in ace average.
In the national statistics, Hawaii junior blocker Rick Tune is eighth in blocking average and senior hitter Jason Ring is ninth in kill average. Vaughan is fifth in assist average and junior blocker Sivan Leoni is 15th in hitting percentage.
"This is going to be a good challenge for us," Wilton said. "We need to string together some good performances to prepare us for the last segment of conference play.
"We're not out of it by any means. There's really not much difference between the Nos. 1 and 12 teams in the conference. It's been tough, trying to live up to the last two years we've had (46-11, two final fours). Even though we made some real bold claims at the start of the season, I still believe this team can accomplish what our teams the past two years have. We need to start winning some close ones."
Who Hawaii (9-7) vs. Lewis (16-5)