[ UH VOLLEYBALL ]
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UH sweeps When its top gun didn't come out firing, the Hawaii volleyball team found a few other loaded weapons in its arsenal.
past BYU
The Warriors spread it
around to assure at least
second place in the MPSFBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comBehind the hitting of Tony Ching and Eyal Zimet, Hawaii swept Brigham Young 30-26, 30-27, 30-22 last night.
A crowd of 5,502 (6,406 tickets issued) at the Stan Sheriff Center watched as the Warriors turned in a solid defensive performance and shut down the Cougars, ending BYU's 10-match win streak.
Second-ranked Hawaii improved to 20-6 overall and 17-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. With the victory, the Warriors locked up second place in the conference. Fourth-ranked Brigham Young slipped to 21-6 and 15-6.
After a minor injury sidelined him in practice early in the week, Ching came out pounding for the Warriors. The junior hit .370 and had 14 kills to ease the load off a struggling Costas Theocharidis. Zimet added seven kills in 13 swings. Theocharidis finished with 13 kills and improved his performance later in the match.
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"We didn't give him (Theocharidis) much to work with," Hawaii coach Mike Wilton said. "It's a tribute to the rest of the team to pick up the slack. It was getting a little frustrating for us."We were just back on our heels and waiting to see what they were going to do."
The Cougars didn't do much with their outside hitters struggling. Mike Wall and Joaquin Acosta each had 11 kills but hit for low percentages.
The Warriors' blocking plagued them most of the night. Hawaii blocked 15 1/2 balls to only five for BYU.
"We didn't play very consistently," Zimet said. "It was more what we did that determined how the score went."
Added Ching: "I was inconsistent. I still need to work on my blocking. Me and Eyal complement each other well and did what we had to do to carry the load for Costas. He wasn't out there for long. He showed up well into the first game, but he showed up early enough that we rode him most of the way."
In Game 1, neither team managed more than a two-point lead until the Warriors scored three straight near the halfway mark. A kill by Zimet, an ace from Kimo Tuyay and a solo stuff by Zimet gave Hawaii a 19-15 lead. That was all the Warriors needed. Hawaii maintained its edge in the back-and-forth battle before a block by Theocharidis and a Cougar hitting error concluded the first game.
Both teams turned in dismal hitting performances in Game 2. A kill by Mike Wall put the Cougars ahead 12-9, but BYU was still hitting negative.
The Warriors responded with four straight points, including a kill from Ching and an ace from Delano Thomas. The Warriors never got comfortably ahead of the Cougars, but Hawaii's blockers shut down Acosta and Wall. Both were held well below their season average as the Warriors added seven blocks in Game 2.
In Game 3, Hawaii used tough serving and an impenetrable wall at the net to pull away from BYU after a 17-17 tie. The Warriors had three blocks during a 7-1 run that effectively closed the door on the Cougars.
BYU hit the next three balls out and served into the net to give Hawaii match point. The Warriors ended the match three plays later on a kill by Jose Delgado. The freshman entered the match late in the game after Hawaii had already secured the victory.
The rematch is today at 7 p.m. Warrior seniors Miladinovic and Vernon Podlewski will be honored following the game.
Wilton and the Warriors don't expect it to get any easier.
"It's a good team," Wilton said. "We have to be ready for a tough match. When they're in system, they're tough."
But Hawaii knows it is just as tough. The Warriors can feel a bit more confident with their overall game since they found other weapons when their main one wasn't available.
"We managed to come out of it this time," Zimet said. "Hopefully tomorrow we'll be more consistent about it. We'll be sharp."
With the playoffs just around the corner, Hawaii can't afford any more inconsistent performances. Each of the eight teams in the conference tournament, will be seasoned and battle-tested. The Warriors need to continue the momentum they started last week against UCLA.
Though a No. 2 seed in the tournament is likely and could be enough to earn an at-large berth into the final four, there's no guarantee Hawaii would receive the berth should it not win the conference tournament.
Hawaii def. BYU
30-26, 30-27, 30-22
Cougars (21-6, 15-6 MPSF)
g k e att pct. bs ba d Wall 3 11 9 27 .074 0 1 7 Acosta 3 11 8 26 .115 1 0 5 Gorny 3 9 2 18 .389 0 4 2 Paal 3 8 2 14 .429 0 0 6 Moreno 3 2 0 4 .500 0 1 5 Slabe 3 4 3 12 .083 0 1 5 Mayol 3 2 2 9 .000 0 1 2 Alleman 1 0 1 2 -.500 0 0 1 Pessoa 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 5 Totals 3 47 27 112 .179 1 8 38 Warriors (20-6, 17-4 MPSF)
g k e att pct. bs ba d Miladinovic 3 5 2 13 .231 0 11 0 Tuyay 3 0 0 1 .000 0 6 7 Zimet 3 7 1 13 .462 2 2 6 Theocharidis 3 13 5 33 .242 0 4 8 Ching 3 14 4 27 .370 0 3 6 Thomas 3 6 2 14 .286 0 1 2 Chala 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 Podlewski 3 0 0 1 .000 0 0 2 Delgado 1 1 0 1 1.000 0 0 0 Totals 3 46 14 103 .311 2 27 32 Key--g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- Cougars (1): Wall. Hawaii (5): Ching 2, Tuyay, Thomas. Assists -- Cougars (46): Moreno 41, Paal 2, Wall, Mayol, Alleman. Hawaii (44): Tuyay 40, Theocharidis 2, Tuyay, Ching.
T -- 1:38. Officials -- Wayne Lee, Ernie Ho. A --6406.
UH Athletics