WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL
Thunderbirds beat ailing UH
With two starters sidelined with the flu and coach Mike Wilton ailing as well, Hawaii put together a M*A*S*H lineup that looked healthy at times during its volleyball exhibition with British Columbia. At times, the Warriors looked in desperate need of an infusion of energy and consistency.
Matt LeBourdais and Andrew Bonner put down 13 kills each to lead a balanced Thunderbird attack as the Canadian visitors defeated the Warriors 30-25, 22-30, 30-16, 30-24. A Stan Sheriff Center turnstile crowd of 1,629 (3,108 tickets) saw UBC outblock Hawaii 12.5-9 after 2 hours and 4 minutes.
Freshman opposite Steven Grgas, replacing ailing All-American Lauri Hakala, finished with a match-high 14 kills to lead the Warriors. But just two of those kills came after Game 2, when the Warriors began struggling with basics.
"We need to take care of the fundamentals and we aren't doing it," frustrated UH setter Brian Beckwith said. "We were hitting balls in the net, serving out, passing the ball who knows where.
"If we can't pass, we can't get into any offensive rhythm and our hitters won't have any confidence when they're seeing two blockers in their face every time.
"I hope there's a sour taste in everyone's mouth, because we are not playing well right now. Everyone needs to get a lot better before we leave Wednesday."
Hawaii opens the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation season on the road with matches next Friday and Saturday at top-ranked UC Irvine. If the Warriors are to have any success against the Anteaters, they'll need to cut down on their serving errors.
Wilton signs extension through 2009
Mike Wilton's Christmas present was a little late, but it's one he'll enjoy for the next three years.
The Hawaii men's volleyball coach had his contract extended through June 30, 2009, what would be the end of his 17th season. The 62-year-old Wilton (283-119) officially begins his 15th season next week when the Warriors travel to top-ranked UC Irvine to open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
"I'm happy that we have come to closure on a new contract," UH athletic director Herman Frazier said in a news release issued yesterday. "We all look forward to Mike's leadership as we enter this season."
Details of the contract will be released after Frazier returns from the NCAA Convention. It is retroactive to last July 1.
In Wilton's 14 seasons, the Warriors have won five MPSF division titles and advanced to the NCAA final four three times. During that time, the program has produced 25 all-conference players and 14 All-Americans.
Wilton is the third Hawaii coach since the program went to NCAA status in 1979.
Star-Bulletin staff
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Last night against the Thunderbirds, Hawaii had 21 errors, effectively killing any sort of momentum or a chance at forcing a fifth game -- as the Warriors did when meeting the T-Birds for the Thunderball Tournament title last October. UH defeated UBC then in five, but there would be no repeat as UBC took control at 18-18 and didn't let go.
"We lost our composure (in Game 2) but we were able to compose ourselves in the locker room, had it in our heads what we had to do," said LeBourdais, finishing with a match-high six block assists. "We work a lot on blocking and serving. That's our strengths. When we do that well, we do well as a team."
UBC's 12 service errors were offset with its four aces. Hawaii also had four aces, but could not overcome the 21 errors.
Sophomore Mark Ribeiro, replacing the ill Jake Schkud, added 11 kills for the Warriors, who hit .174 to the T-Birds' .330. Hawaii hit negative .029 in Game 3, started off by two hitting errors on their first four swings.
After dropping Game 1, Hawaii finally found a rhythm and an offense in Game 2. Grgas had six kills -- as many as the Thunderbirds had until very late in the set.
Hawaii used a 3-0 run to pull away to a comfortable 26-17 lead, capped by Matt Vanzant's ace. UBC closed to within 27-22, but the Warriors answered with another 3-0 run to close it out, sandwiching two blocks around an ace by Grgas.
The T-Birds set the tone for a very one-sided Game 3, opening with a 4-0 lead within the first minute. Even a change at setter -- sophomore Sean Carney for senior Beckwith -- didn't change things for the Warriors, who found themselves down by as much as 24-11 and 26-12.
British Columbia def. Hawaii
30-25, 22-30, 30-16, 30-24
Thunderbirds
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Krause |
4 |
6 |
2 |
9 |
.444 |
0 |
1 |
11
|
Eichbaum |
4 |
12 |
5 |
24 |
.286 |
1 |
3 |
8
|
Duperron |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
.000 |
0 |
2 |
1
|
Proudfoot |
4 |
2 |
4 |
14 |
-.143 |
0 |
3 |
2
|
LeBourdais |
4 |
13 |
1 |
19 |
.632 |
0 |
6 |
2
|
Bonner |
4 |
13 |
4 |
27 |
.333 |
1 |
3 |
11
|
Bann |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
8
|
Bell |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
-1.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Holowachuk |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
1
|
Simpson |
2 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
.800 |
0 |
3 |
0
|
Totals |
4 |
52 |
18 |
103 |
.330 |
2 |
21 |
43 |
Warriors
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Grgas |
4 |
14 |
10 |
37 |
.108 |
1 |
2 |
2
|
Kalima |
4 |
8 |
4 |
25 |
.160 |
0 |
2 |
2
|
Kilnger |
3 |
5 |
0 |
13 |
.385 |
0 |
3 |
0
|
Beckwith |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
.000 |
0 |
2 |
1
|
Dante |
4 |
6 |
4 |
14 |
.143 |
1 |
2 |
2
|
Ribeiro |
3 |
11 |
5 |
21 |
.286 |
0 |
1 |
1
|
Rawson |
1 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
.800 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Clar |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
-.167 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
Carney |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
1
|
Vanzant |
3 |
5 |
5 |
12 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Cervantes |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
1
|
Vidinha |
1 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
.200 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
China |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
3
|
Totals |
4 |
56 |
31 |
144 |
.174 |
2 |
14 |
28 |
Key -- g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- BC (4): Eichbaum 2, Proudfoot, Bonner. Hawaii (4): Grgas, Kalima, Dante, Vanzant. Assists -- BC (49): Krause 38, Eichbaum 2, Proudfoot 2, Bonner 2, Bann 2, Holowachuk 2, LeBourdais. Hawaii (51): Beckwith 45, Carney 3, China 2, Kalima.
T -- 2:04. Officials -- Ernie Ho, Dan Hironaka. A -- 1,629.