WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL
Warriors hyped up after road trip
They can relate to this incessant, soaking rain ... flash floods and all.
It's how the members of the Hawaii volleyball team viewed the recent road trip where the Warriors poured it on, going 4-0 in five days.
Hawaii returned to practice yesterday after storming the mainland, running its winning streak to seven. The light workout included a fairly relaxed serve-and-pass session and a mini-tournament for middle blockers.
The fun and games were to continue overnight as the team participated in the Relay for Life, a cancer fundraiser at Cooke Field, that ran from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.
"It's for a good cause," senior libero Alfred Reft said. "We'll be walking for cancer ... or swimming ... whatever we have to do."
Getting the job done has been the priority for the Warriors, who host UCLA next Friday and Saturday. The Bruins outlasted Hawaii in the Outrigger Hotels Invitational on Jan. 20, but UCLA has struggled since then, going 6-6 with three consecutive losses.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have won eight of their last 10. The success has allowed Hawaii to improve to 11-4 overall while also holding onto a critical top-four spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation at 9-3.
"Overall, the team has been playing amazing," said senior hitter Jose Delgado, who had a combined 67 kills in the four road victories. "We stuck together, every match, even when we weren't playing well.
"Four games in five days was not easy. It was a big test for us and we got it done because we stayed mentally focused. And UCLA is having ups and downs, but it's always a big game for us. It should be fun next week."
Outside of the Relay for Life, the Warriors will take the weekend off and return to practice Monday.
"It's good to be home," Reft said. "So much was packed into those five days. In some ways, it felt like forever.
"And as much as I hate to say it, it's good to be back to class."
Notes: In MPSF-only statistics, UH junior Dio Dante was No. 1 in blocks (1.74 bpg) and No. 2 in hitting percentage (.487) coming into the week.
Reft was second in digs (3.33 dpg), trailing UCI freshman Brent Asuka (3.63 dpg). Nationally, Reft was No. 1 in all matches (3.45 dpg) with Asuka, an Iolani graduate, third (3.19 dpg).