[UH VOLLEYBALL]
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Battling Bruin beaters LOS ANGELES, Calif. >> A four-year absence can seem like an eternity when you're used to being in the postseason.
The Gauchos have an eye on
making the Warriors their
next upset victimBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.com
For UC Santa Barbara coach Ken Preston, the last quadrennial has been tough.
Preston has coached the Gauchos for 24 years and only missed the NCAA men's volleyball playoffs five times in that span, but four of those came in the past four years as the Gauchos failed to qualify for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.
The last time UCSB extended its season was in 1997. Times have been lean since then. But Saturday's win against UCLA has brought the Gauchos back in a big way.
"It was fun," Preston said. "To beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion when it's on the line and to eliminate them in the (MPSF) playoffs is a neat thing to experience.
"They're the best program in the country. They've proven it. They have the best coach in the country. It was a neat feeling to have those people on their home court and beat them. It was pretty cool."
UCSB's comeback victory has the Gauchos' popularity skyrocketing and the remaining teams in the MPSF playoffs breathing a sigh of relief.
Though maybe they shouldn't be. The Gauchos resurgence could make them more of a threat than anyone could have anticipated.
Second-seeded Hawaii (21-7, 17-5 MPSF) plays sixth-seeded UCSB (18-10, 12-10) in the MPSF semifinals tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. Hawaii time. Top-seeded Pepperdine faces fourth-seeded Brigham Young in the early match.
Preston said that his phone was off the hook with congratulatory calls from friends in Hawaii and Utah. Saturday's epic win, however, wasn't the most exciting match Preston recalls coaching.
At Pepperdine MPSF semifinal
Who: Hawaii vs. UC Santa Barbara
When: 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, Hawaii time
TV: None
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Internet: kccn1420am.com
Two matches that stand out in his memory are the 1996 MPSF semifinals in Honolulu and the West regional championship in 1988.
"UCSB-Hawaii is a whole history in itself," Preston said.
"When the program came in and (Dave) Shoji had it, we battled. I remember taking my 1988 team over there for Allen Allen's last match in Klum Gym. There were probably 4,000 people packed in the gym and it was hot.
"Somehow it's always an honor to play Hawaii. It's fantastic. It's a great tradition. (Hawaii coach Mike Wilton's) had some great teams. It's really fun to go into battle against them again."
Hawaii's path to the final four at Penn State was made just a little easier when UCSB knocked out UCLA. If the Warriors reach Saturday's championship, they will have made a convincing argument for the at-large berth should Pepperdine take the tournament crown.
But that doesn't mean they don't want to take care of business on their own. The Warriors are feeling confident in spite of a so-so showing Saturday.
"I feel pretty good about the team and how we played (against Long Beach State)," Hawaii captain Eyal Zimet said, "the way we managed to win the game 3-0 even though we didn't play our top game.
"That's the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.
"It could be the last game of the season. It pushes you over the limits that you have during the regular season. You can actually fall asleep (during) the regular season. A lot of times that happens to us. The first night we beat a team and the second night we're more relaxed so we fall behind."
And the Warriors have the added incentive of revenge, having split two matches with the Gauchos in Santa Barbara in early March.
"We're definitely a better team than them," outside hitter Costas Theocharidis said. "Beating us during the regular season doesn't mean anything. We didn't play our game. We're pretty happy with the way we're playing lately. We lost during the regular season and now it's time for us to take sweet revenge."
It won't be easy with the Gauchos clicking well with each other.
"It's a team in the true sense of the word," Preston said. "Everybody's on the same page. In the past, I'm not sure we really had everybody on the same page.
"It's just that and some really good leadership by my seniors."
MPSF SEMIFINALISTS
No. 1 Pepperdine (26-4, 20-2)
Coach: Marv Dunphy, 19th year
NCAA titles (total): 3 (1978, 1985, 1992)
Last week: def. Cal State Northridge 3-0
Players: Brad Keenan (6-8 Jr. MB) 2.94 kills per game, 1.83 blocks per game, 61 aces; Sean Rooney (6-8 Fr. OH) 4.11 kpg, 1.35 digs per game, 22 aces; Chris Van Reusen ( 6-5 Sr. MB) 1.89 kpg, 1.25 bpg, 15 aces; Beau Daniels (6-4 Sr. S) 14.12 assists per game, 1.30 dpg, 33 aces; Fred Winters (6-5 So. OH) 3.55 kpg, 1.69 dpg, 30 aces; Lance Walker 3.31 kpg, 1.17 dpg, 33 aces; Clint Olson (6-2 Sr. L) 2.21 dpg;
No. 2 Hawaii (21-7, 17-5)
Coach: Mike Wilton, 10th year
NCAA titles: 0
Last week: def. Long Beach State 3-0
Players: Costas Theocharidis (6-3 Jr. OH) 5.55 kpg, 1.68 dpg, 33 aces; Dejan Miladinovic (6-7 Sr. MB) 2.21 kpg, 1.89 bpg, 3 aces; Eyal Zimet (6-2 Jr. OH) 2.64 kpg, 1.55 dpg, 10 aces; Kimo Tuyay (6-2 So. S) 12.88 apg, 1.30 dpg, 6 aces; Delano Thomas (6-7 Fr. MB) 1.88 kpg, 0.85 bpg, 14 aces; Tony Ching (6-2 Jr. OH) 2.66 kpg, 1.77 dpg, 4 aces; Vernon Podlewski (5-8 Sr. L) 2.05 dpg.
No. 4 Brigham Young (23-6, 16-6)
Coach: Carl McGown, 13th year
NCAA titles (total): 2 (1999, 2001)
Last week: def. Stanford 3-2
Players: Mike Wall (6-4 Sr. Opp) 4.92 kpg, 1.43 dpg, 22 aces; Joaquin Acosta (6-5 Sr. OH) 4.08 kpg, 1.40 dpg, 9 aces; Rafael Paal (6-6 Jr. MB) 1.85 kpg, 1.13 bpg, 38 aces. Chris Gorny (6-6 So. MB) 1.92 kpg, 1.36 bpg, 7 aces; Luka Slabe (6-1 Jr. OH) 2.21 kpg, 0.98 dpg, 19 aces; Carlos Moreno (6-3 Fr. S) 14.26 apg, 1.09 dpg, 24 aces; Fernando Pessoa (6-4 So. L) 1.20 dpg.
No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (18-10, 12-10)
Coach: Ken Preston, 24th year
NCAA titles: 0
Last week: def. UCLA 3-2
Players: Andy Rivera (6-2 Sr. OH) 3.97 kpg, 1.42 dpg, 28 aces; Ben Koski (6-5 Sr. Opp) 3.83 kpg, 0.99 dpg, 25 aces; Britt Galang (6-3 Sr. S) 13.64 apg, 1.35 dpg, 6 aces; Jan Carlos Zegarra (6-3 Jr. OH) 2.45 kpg, 1.80 dpg, 13 aces; Michael Kennedy (6-7 Fr. MB) 1.99 kpg, 0.88 bpg, 9 aces; Justin Adams (6-6 So. MB) 2.32 kpg, 1.47 bpg, 16 aces; Aaron Mansfield (6-0 Fr. L) 1.84 dpg.
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