Thursday, March 5, 1998
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Rick Tune, playing for Hawaii last March.
’Bows know
that Tune
Former Rainbow star Rick Tune
By Pat Bigold
leads No. 2 Pepperdine against
No. 4 UH in a pair of matches
Star-BulletinRick Tune, one of the University of Hawaii volleyball program's most popular and productive players the past three years, makes his 1998 Hawaii debut at the Stan Sheriff Center tomorrow night -- in another team's uniform.
Tune, the 6-foot-6 middle blocker from Punahou who joined No. 2 Pepperdine in January, said he'd like to look at it as just another Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match. But he admits a rush of emotion will be unavoidable.
''It will be kind of weird not wearing the green and white," said Tune, who graduated from Hawaii in December with a degree in history and political science. He is pursing graduate studies while utilizing his final year of NCAA eligibility.
''There are so many good memories with Hawaii, and good experiences, but life moves on. I'm a Wave now and I have to make the best of it."
The No. 4 Rainbows (13-2 overall, 10-1 MPSF) will play two matches against Pepperdine (10-1, 9-1), which is riding a seven-match winning streak. The second match is scheduled Saturday afternoon at the Sheriff Center.
The Rainbows have four straight wins and hold a two-and-a-half-game lead over Stanford in the Pacific Division.
Only tomorrow's match will count in the conference standings since the teams are in different divisions of the MPSF.
Tune set two single-season blocking records (142 block assists, 162 total blocks) for UH last season and ranks fifth on the all-time UH blocking list with 303.
Dozens of fans waited outside the UH arena for Tune after each home game he played as a Rainbow, asking that he sign autographs and pose for photos.
Asked what kind of reaction he expects from the fans tomorrow, Tune said he hopes the change of uniform doesn't change their attitudes toward him.
''I hope I can still win their hearts," Tune said. ''I hope they don't forget that I still stand for the same things. Because I have on a different jersey doesn't mean my heart's not still in Hawaii. The same goes for the other Hawaii guys on our roster."
Pepperdine has as many Hawaii players on its roster as UH, and all five travel with the team.
Besides Tune, three of the other four Waves players with local roots also hail from Punahou -- freshmen Scott Wong and Craig Gamble and junior J.J. Riley. Kamehameha graduate Pono Kahale, another freshman, rounds out the Hawaii contingent on the Waves' roster.
Tune is fifth in blocks per game (1.86) and 14th in percentage (.444) in the most recent NCAA stats.
The 6-6 Wong is second on the team in kills (4.62 per game) and digs (2.32), and is the team-leader in aces (17).
The 6-3 Riley engineers the Pepperdine offense (.366), dishing out 17.11 assists per game, which ranks him third nationally.
The Waves lead the series against UH, 19-14, but the Rainbows have an 8-6 edge in matches played in Honolulu.
UH men's volleyball
What: No. 4 Hawaii (13-2) vs. No. 2 Pepperdine (10-1)
1997-98 UH Men’s Volleyball
Schedule and Recordhttp://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
