KFVE waiting If you were planning to watch the Hawaii volleyball team's first-round match against Long Beach State on television Saturday, better put those plans on hold. The Warriors' playoff match at the Stan Sheriff Center may not be televised.
for volleyball
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The station has the rights
to do Saturday's playoff match,
but UH hasn't given the OKBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comAlthough KFVE-TV has already secured the rights from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation to televise the game, the station is waiting for approval from the University of Hawaii.
"We're all just waiting to see how ticket sales go," KFVE general manager and vice president John Fink said. "We have acquired the rights from the MPSF, but we need the final OK from the University of Hawaii. UH has costs so it makes sense to wait to see how they do (on sales)."
Tickets for the match went on sale yesterday at 8 a.m.
KFVE programming director Dan Schmidt said that he understands the position of the university. Schmidt anticipates meeting with athletic director Hugh Yoshida either today or sometime later this week for the final answer.
"We're proceeding to be prepared to do it if we can," Schmidt said. "We hope by tomorrow Hugh will give us an answer.
"There's always the concern that gate might be damaged by television, but we believe that television is the greatest advertising medium.
"It's a matter of the University of Hawaii trying to satisfy two different things. The first being to maximize the revenue, and two to make sure the community gets an opportunity to watch this match. They're trying to find the happy ground in the middle (and) to make sure they don't kill themselves at the gate."
KFVE is planning to show the Rainbow Wahine softball doubleheader on Saturday, but could be ready in a pinch to switch gears. Schmidt said that KFVE crews are planning to work that night.
Postseason notes: If history is any indication, Hawaii should expect to be on the mainland next week.
If UH and Pepperdine both win on Saturday, the top-seeded Waves would host the semifinals and the finals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.
The Warriors have won all five of the first-round matches they've hosted. The Warriors advanced to the second round in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. But the Warriors are only 3-7 when they have had to travel for the opening round.
In Hawaii's 15 postseason appearances, the Warriors have never faced Long Beach State in the playoffs.
UH has never won an MPSF tournament and has reached the finals just twice in the nine years since the conference was formed.
The MPSF has produced all but one NCAA title winner. Penn State won the championship in 1994.
Senior Dejan Miladinovic is on pace to become just the second Hawaii player to earn all-conference recognition all four years of his career.
Former national team member Allen Allen was the only Rainbow to garner recognition each year he was at Manoa.
Miladinovic owns most of Hawaii's career blocking records (total blocks, block assists), but it is former Warrior Jason Olive that has the most blocks recorded in an MPSF match. Olive had 18 blocks against Stanford in 1995.
UH Athletics
