Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Team USA match a
Hawaii showcase
The national team will
By Cindy Luis
get to experience the volleyball
fervor of the islands
Star-BulletinVolleyball in Hawaii has been in its own little world.
Record-setting crowds for men's and women's collegiate matches. Celebrity status for players. Front-page coverage for games. State-wide television.
Now it's time to let the rest of the world in on the secret. At least that's what the organizers of this week's Team USA versus China tour stop are hoping.
"What we hope we can give the guys coming here is total, special, unique volleyball-in-Hawaii experience," said Bill Via, a former University of Hawaii player. "A lot of these (USA) players have played at UH but they've been the bad guys. This is their first time to come out here and be the good guys.
"We want to give them the experience that our (UH) guys get."
And former Rainbow players Curt Vaughan and Jason Ring are hoping to save face. They are training with the national team and expect to see some playing time Thursday at the Blaisdell Arena and Friday at the Lahaina Civic Center.
But more than that, the two want to prove to their teammates what they've been saying for the last four months. That Hawaii is the best place to play volleyball in the world.
"We try to tell them about our experiences here but you can't really explain it all without sounding either conceited or that you're making it all up," said Vaughan, a former setter for the Rainbows (1994-97). "Some believe us, some don't. I'm just hoping that they can get the full experience of what it's like to play here.
"It would be nice to see 5,000 to 7,000 people at Blaisdell. I just want them to be treated bigger than they are anywhere in the world."
It won't be hard, not when comparing the attendance during the World Championships qualifier in San Antonio four months ago. The figure given for the three-day tournament was 3,000 -- for the combined three days. The Rainbows haven't drawn that small of a crowd for a single match since moving out of Klum Gym in 1994.
If there is to be a resurgence for the USA men's volleyball team, this could be the perfect place to start. The American team has been on a steady decline since its gold medal in 1984; the team finished ninth at the '96 Olympics in Atlanta.
Doug Beal, the coach in '84, has returned. The current roster is dotted with names that may be household names only in the islands: Mike Lambert (Punahou, Stanford), Brett Winslow (Long Beach State) and Jeff Nygaard (UCLA).
"I think the team is solid right now," said Ring. "The national team needs to find a wave to ride to get it going again. Maybe we can get it going a little bit out here.
"I'm looking forward to having a good time in front of the fans again. We know this is the best place in the world to play volleyball right now."
The organizers want to prove it, too. Pacific Event Management, the company started by Via and fellow Rainbow Pono Ma'a, are hoping to bring the team back in September during its tour against Japan.
"We excited that our sponsors are allowing us to set the tone that is completely different from any other experience these guys will have as players," said Via. "We want to make this happen for volleyball. We're testing the waters this week."
The facts
What USA vs. China
