UH works hard for match vs. last-place San Diego

Even being greeted by last Friday's torrential rains didn't dampen the spirits of the Hawaii men's volleyball team. After the successful -- but long -- road trip, the third-ranked Warriors were just happy to be home ... wet welcome and all.

"There's something about those long road trips that, even though we're winning, it takes its toll," UH junior setter Brian Beckwith said yesterday prior to the team's first home practice in nearly two weeks. "Towards the end, we couldn't wait to get back home. We were very happy when we did.

"Our goal is to win and we accomplished that. And we played well so we're pretty satisfied with our road trip as a whole."

Hawaii spent the majority of spring break racking up four victories in six days over Pacific and Stanford to remain in contention for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title. The Warriors (19-4, 15-3 MPSF) are a game behind top-ranked UC Irvine (23-3, 16-2) heading into this week's series against UC San Diego (1-23, 0-18).

Although the Tritons are struggling as the only Division II team in the MPSF, the Warriors aren't looking past their matches Friday and Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. Having a 33-0 lead in the series and a 15-match winning streak means nothing.

"The focus this week is to not lose focus," senior middle Mauli'a La Barre said. "Even though we know that San Diego is on the bottom of the conference, we need to keep the momentum going for the playoffs.

"We have to play steady, be mentally aware. The game plan is working well for us and we don't want to change anything."

One thing that hasn't changed the past two weeks is the unavailability of sophomore blocker Kyle Klinger. He broke the big toe on his left foot during practice two weeks ago and is expected to be sidelined for another three weeks.

Banquet this month: The team's annual banquet is scheduled for Monday, April 17, at the Waikiki Beach Marriott.

The event begins with no-host cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner buffet at 6:30. The cost is $45 for adults and $20 for children ages 4-12.

For additional information and registration call Fred Parker at 623-2135 or 630-9304.