Saturday, May 1, 1999
Men’s volleyball
facing big losses
With anywhere from three to
By Cindy Luis
seven players leaving, coach
Mike Wilton is working on
recruiting to fill out the team's
roster for next season
Star-BulletinPROVO, Utah -- Mason Kuo didn't get much sleep following Thursday's playoff loss to Brigham Young. There may be some sleepless nights ahead for Kuo's coach Mike Wilton as well as he tries to finalize his recruiting class.
The Hawaii men's volleyball cupboard might be a little bare come the end of next week. The Rainbows lose three players to graduation from a team that finished 19-10, while up to four players could be gone due to academics, mutual agreement or coach's decision.
The underclassmen expected to return are hitters Torry Tukuafu, Brenton Davis, Russell Lockwood and Hunter Haliniak and middle Dejan Miladinovic. Huge question marks are beside the names of Jorge Alifonso, Jorge Perez and Cory Kamanao, and a small question mark is next to Clay Stanley.
Next week's fitness testing could weed out some of the players, while Stanley, who accounted for nearly 20 percent of Hawaii's offense this season, has contemplated turning pro. Wilton said Stanley likely will return, but Alifonso and Perez both have thoughts of returning home to Puerto Rico. Redshirt freshman Imai Karratti is expected to leave for two years to serve his mission for the Mormon church.
"It looks like it could be a real new team next year," said Kuo, who finished his setting career No. 5 on the school assist list (2,474). "Hopefully, I left a link to some of the best years of the program. I think it's always important to have some kind of tradition."Kuo was the last player from Hawaii's final four teams of 1995 and 1996, the only times the Rainbows reached the NCAA Tournament. The McKinley High product was a redshirt in '95 and backup setter and hitter as a freshman in '96.
"The first year we went, we had guys who had been in the program for a while," said Kuo. "Guys like Nick Berger, Sean Scott, Jason Olive and Curt Vaughan. There was a solid nucleus of guys who were starters.
"When Yuval (Katz), Sivan (Leoni) and Erik (Pichel) came in (in 1995), they raised the level that was already there."
With the return of Davis, Miladinovic and Tukuafu, Hawaii has about 50 percent of its offense back as well as half of one of the best blocking combinations in the country. Miladinovic is already No. 2 in block assists on UH's all-time list and third in total blocks. He is also eighth in aces.
The major concern is at setter. Lockwood was penciled in at backup this year, but that was a short-term desperation move. Perez started several matches but, at 5-foot-11, was never considered a permanent solution.
Another need is at middle, where the Rainbows lose an all-American in Andre Breuer. He graduates with a year of eligibility remaining as well as the No. 2 spot in all-time total blocks (344).
"Recruiting has gone pretty well and we've addressed our needs," Wilton said. "We hope to get a few more guys to solidify every position."
Coming in next fall is Stefan Krejci, a 6-3 freshman setter from Austria who played on Berger's club team. Also signed is Eyal Zimet, a 6-3 freshman hitter from Israel who is expected to be the team's primary passer.
Two other players from Brazil are also being recruited, a 6-7 middle and a 6-5 hitter. They would both come in as freshmen.
At least two Hawaii high school seniors are expected to walk-on. Wilton may also bring in a junior college transfer as backup setter.
Kuo graduates this summer and has a job waiting with an accounting firm. He leaves after five years and with no regrets.
"I tried to sleep after BYU and kept thinking about what I could have done differently," said Kuo, one of only six Rainbow setters to record 2,000 assists. "I have come to the conclusion that the game is over, I did what I felt was right at the time and I'm not going to have any regrets. I'm proud of being a Rainbow. Not many people get the chance.
"We still have to feel pretty good about beating UCLA last week. We don't beat them often. The thing is, we saw how well we could play, but against BYU we just couldn't do it again."
SCHEDULE CHANGE: At yesterday's MPSF coaches' meeting, the league approved a scheduling change but no realignment of the divisions. The current format -- with teams playing teams within the division twice and in the other division once -- will continue for the next two years. Then for the following two years, teams will play division foes once and teams in the other division twice ... Also, the eight teams with the best records, regardless of division, will advance to the postseason. Formerly, the top three teams from each division as well as two at-large teams advanced.
