Thursday, December 16, 1999

NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Attendance was
a pleasant surprise

By Catherine Toth
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Sure, the final four of the 1999 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships sold out in September, months before the tournament began. But who would have expected 7,293 to actually show up after the Hawaii was eliminated from the tournament last week?

"These are the best teams," said Elbert Yoshida from Mililani, who has had season tickets for the Wahine since the opening of the Stan Sheriff Center in October, 1994.

His wife, June, who admitted to just tagging along with her husband at first, said she enjoys quality volleyball, not just the Wahine.

"We came because of the caliber of players and the level of volleyball," she said.

The Yoshidas have been following Wahine volleyball since the early '80s. They even traveled to Cleveland in 1996 to watch what is now Hawaii's final title game appearance this decade. The Wahine lost to Stanford in three straight games.

Itsuo Ogina, a retired state worker from Aiea, also made use of his season tickets despite Hawaii not participating.

"This is the only enjoyment I have," Ogina joked. "I don't golf, I don't gamble. I could care less who wins. I came because I have tickets."

Kelly Yoshida and his wife Elizabeth, of Aiea, are also season-ticket holders who decided to spend Thursday night at a volleyball double-header.

"I'm disappointed the Wahine aren't playing, but no matter," Kelly said. "As long as we get to see some good volleyball."

Knowing Long Beach State's history with Hawaii, some fans decided early on to root for Stanford.

"Even though (head coach Brian Gimmillaro) came out in the paper and said all those nice things about Hawaii fans being educated (in volleyball), we still don't like them," Elbert Yoshida said.

But Esther K. Hopu of Kaneohe wasn't taking any sides. "I wanted to see what kind of teams they were," she said. "I just wanted to give them some good cheer and some aloha."

Lions and Tigers and ...

If you thought Penn State's band looked a little too local, you were right.

Due to the expense of flying in their band from the East Coast, the Nittany Lions recruited the McKinley High School concert band to play for them instead.

"We figured as long as UH wasn't playing, it would be OK," said McKinley Tigers band director Robert Hayakawa.

Hayakawa brought along 30 of the school's 120-member concert band. The students riled up the crowd with its rendition of "Hawaii Five-O."

"It's been a great experience for us," he said. "It's good for (the students) to hear a college band playing the same music we play."

Pacific's 22-member band did double duty, playing for their Tigers and then performing in Long Beach State T-shirts during the second semifinal.

Locally grown

Penn State's senior back row threat has a name that tells a story.

Born in Hawaii, Leilani Schlottfeldt calls Brazil her home. The 5-10 defensive specialist played an integral part in the Nittany Lions' win over Pacific. Coming off the bench, Schlottfeldt contributed 18 digs and two aces.

"This is my first time back (in Hawaii) since I was little," she said. "It's everything my family told me it would be. It's beautiful and the people are so nice."