Benchmark
time for ’Bows
The sixth Outrigger Invitational
features four Top 10 teams
By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin
The bar has been raised a little higher this week for the seventh-ranked University of Hawaii men's volleyball team. The Rainbows host the premier tournament in the country - the sixth Outrigger Hotels Invitational - a three-day event where the learning curve is steep and the potential to fail even steeper.
Four of the top 10 teams in the country hit the Taraflex at the Stan Sheriff Center starting tomorrow. When the smoke clears, the four should have a better picture of where they are three weeks into the season.
"It's a benchmark time for us,'' said Hawaii coach Mike Wilton. "We did some good things Friday (in losing to BYU 3-2) but there are some things we need to clean up.
"With so many new guys, every game is a new deal for us.''
The luck of draw has the Rainbows opening tomorrow with NCAA final four host Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne. The No. 4 Volleydons are among the preseason favorites to win the national title in May.
Top-ranked UCLA, the defending tournament champion, is going for its 20th NCAA championship. The Bruins saw their hopes of hanging another banner at home derailed by the Rainbows in the first-round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.
No. 10 Penn State is hoping to bring a second national title back to Happy Valley within seven weeks. The Nittany Lions women's team won the NCAA championship last month at the Sheriff Center.
"I think our crowd last week saw some pretty incredible volleyball, especially for so early in the season,'' said Wilton. "I expect they'll see more of the same this week. The level of competition the next three days will be very, very high.''
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK
Outrigger Hotels Invitational
Tomorrow: UCLA vs. Penn State, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii vs. IPFW, 7 p.m. Thursday: UCLA vs. IPFW, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. Friday: Penn State vs. IPFW, 4:30 p.m.; UCLA vs. Hawaii, 7 p.m. Stan Sheriff Center.
On the air: Every match live, KFVE TV (Channel 5). No radio.
RealAudio: Click here
Tickets: $5 students, $8 senior citizens, $9 adults.
NO. 8 HAWAII (2-1)
Coach: Mike Wilton (8th season, 140-63).
Series: Hawaii leads Penn St., 5-1; trails IPFW, 0-1; trails UCLA, 9-34.
Top players: Clay Stanley (6-9 Jr. OH) 5.76 kpg, 7 aces, 2.33 dpg; Torry Tukuafu (6-5 Jr. MB) 3.83 kpg, .507, 1.17 bpg; Brenton Davis (6-5 Jr. MB) 3.08 kpg, .406, 5 aces, 2.17 bpg; Russell Lockwood (6-0 Sr. LE) 2.83 dpg; Stefan Krejci (6-2 So. S) 18.42 apg, 1.67 dpg, 1.25 bpg; Eyal Zimet (6-2 Fr. OH) 1.55 kpg, .275, 1.27 dpg; Costas Theocharidis (6-2 Fr. OH) 6.00 kpg, .336, 5 aces, 2.58 dpg.
About the Rainbows: Hawaii is coming off a 3-2 loss to defending NCAA champion BYU last Friday, a match that lasted 3 hours and 26 minutes. Freshman Tony Ching came off the bench with the team down 0-2 in games and trailing, 3-6 in Game 3, to ignite a rally that fell short... Hawaii has won this event twice (1995-96). Hawaii is 1-4 vs. UCLA in this event. The Rainbows defeated UCLA last April in the first round of the MPSF Tournament... Hawaii is 4-0 in this event against Penn State, including last year's 3-2 victory ... Hawaii's only meeting with IPFW resulted in a 3-1 loss in 1992.
NO. 1 UCLA (5-0)
Coach: Al Scates (38th, 971-154).
Top players: Evan Thatcher (6-8 Sr. OP) 5.07 kpg, .307; Mark Williams (6-7 Jr. OP) 3.53 kpg, .288, 9 aces; Brandon Taliaferro (6-5 Sr. S) 2.90 dpg, 17.30 apg.
About the Bruins: Top-ranked UCLA has swept four of its five opponents this season - Pacific (twice), UC Irvine and Stanford, while defeating Long Beach State, 3-2... Taliaferro recently became UCLA's all-time assist leader, surpassing former Punahou standout Stein Metzger ... Scates is the winningest coach in men's college volleyball with 19 national championships ... Last season for the first time UCLA hosted the final four without participating. The Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs at the Sheriff Center, 3-1 ... UCLA has won this event three times, including the last two years. The Bruins are 11-3 in five appearances, with two losses to Hawaii and a 3-2 loss to Lewis last year.
NO. 4 INDIANA-PURDUE-FT. WAYNE (2-1)
Coach: Arnie Ball (20th, 333-223).
Top players: Hector Soto (6-6 Sr. OH) 6.09 kpg, .426; Chris Gisslen (6-7 Sr. S) 17.18 apg, 1.27 bpg; Scott Lane 6-8 Sr. OP) 4.27 kpg, .400, 6 aces; Mike Cummings 6-8 Sr. MB) 1.40 bpg.
About the Volleydons: IPFW will host this year's NCAA final four. The Volleydons advanced to the final four last year for the fourth time, losing to Long Beach State, 3-2, in the national semifinals ... Their lone loss this season was in five games to Ohio State ... All-American Soto, coming off ankle surgery, was fourth in the country last year in kills (6.38 kpg)...Ball's son Lloy is the setter for the U.S. national team ... This could be IPFW's best team since the 1992 squad took Stanford to five before losing in the national semis ... This is IPFW's first appearance in this event.
NO. 10 PENN STATE (1-2)
Coach: Mark Pavlik (6th, 189-42).
Top players: Zoljko Koljesar (6-5 Fr. OP) 4.64 kpg, .432, 4 aces; Adam Whitescarver (6-7 Sr. MB) .471, 1.64 bpg; Jose Quinones (6-2 Jr. S) 16.18 apg, 1.27 bpg; Carlos Guerra (6-6 Fr. OH) 1.67 dpg.
About the Nittany Lions: Penn State opened the year with two losses to Southern Cal but regrouped to defeat Rutgers-Newark last Friday. The Lions also had over 60 former players return Saturday for its annual Alumni Weekend, an all-day affair which culminates in a varsity-alumni match ... Freshman Koljesar is well on his way to helping Penn State fill the hole left by all-American Sergio Pampena, who was second in the country in hitting percentage (.485) ... Koljesar is a lefty from Canada via Yugoslavia and Guerra is off the Mexican national team ... The Lions have competed in all five previous events but have never finished higher than third. They were fourth last year, going 0-3.
By Cindy Luis, Star-Bulletin
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Ka Leo O Hawaii
