The ninth-ranked Rainbows host No. 13 Southern Cal in critical Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches that will decide the postseason fate for both. Two Hawaii victories mean seniors Aaron Wilton, Curt Vaughan, Jason Ring, Gavin Cook and Kai Kahele, and junior Rick Tune will extend their playing careers at least one more match.
"We owe it to ourselves and our fans to keep it going," said Tune, who will forego his final year of eligibility in favor of graduate school. "We've all had such great careers here and it would be such a shame to sell ourselves short by not making it to the playoffs again.
"It's really important to me because it's our last chance to finally win it all. It's been a different road all three years to the playoffs: first as the surprise team, last year as the favorite, now this year with everyone counting us out.
"We're just looking to sneak in the back door and then start from there."
Getting there is the whole battle. In the way are the four-time national champion Trojans, who failed to make the playoffs last season for only the second time since the program began offering scholarships in 1977.
Southern Cal has regrouped under first-year coach Pat Powers, a former Trojan All-American and 1984 Olympic gold medalist. USC has had as erratic a season as Hawaii but can also count wins over Brigham Young and Stanford among its nine MPSF victories.
Of concern to the Rainbows is the Trojan middle attack of 6-foot-10 junior Szilard Kovacs and 6-8 senior Eric Seiffert, the effectiveness of 6-5 senior swing hitter Chris Guigilano and the deceptiveness of 6-5 freshman setter Donald Suxho.
"SC has some real good players but I am more concerned about us," said Hawaii coach Mike Wilton. "If we allow them to pass very well, we'll have problems.
|
| |
|
Rick Tune: We owe it to ourselves and our fans to keep it going. . . . It would be such a shame to sell ourselves short by not making it to the playoffs again | |
|
|
After making it to the final four the past two seasons, to not even make the playoffs would be a huge disappointment for the Rainbows. Hawaii last missed postseason play in 1993, Wilton's first season.
"This team is capable enough to be playing in the playoffs," said the fifth-year coach. "I firmly believe this team has the capability to beat any team in the country. We just haven't displayed that capability. We've shown flashes of it and now is the time."
Literally, there is no time like the present. Just 21/2 games separate the Nos. 2-5 teams in the Pacific Division - Long Beach State, USC, Hawaii and Pacific - as the four battle it out for the three remaining berths in next week's first round of the MPSF Tournament.
The top three teams in each division qualify for the tournament, plus the next two teams with the best league records. Still in contention for a wildcard spot is Cal State Northridge from the Mountain Division, which would win the first tiebreaker - head-to-head - with all four of the Pacific teams still in the playoff hunt.
Long Beach State could clinch second place in the Pacific with a win over Loyola Marymount tomorrow night. A sweep of the Trojans would push the Rainbows into third place, leaving SC, Pacific and Northridge to fight through a maze of tiebreak scenarios for the last wildcard slot.
UH volleyball
Who Hawaii (16-10, 8-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) vs. Southern California (12-9, 9-7)