DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Costas Theocharidis celebrated with the game ball last night after becoming the first Warrior player to get 2,000 career kills. Theocharidis had a match-high 17 kills as Hawaii swept Loyola-Chicago for the second match in a row.
Warriors The accomplishment has been four years in the making. So when Costas Theocharidis popped the 2,000th kill of his career off the Loyola-Chicago block in Game 2 of Hawaii's 30-22, 30-21, 30-24 win over the 12th-ranked Ramblers, the celebration on the court was minimal.
sweep again
Theocharidis notches his 2,000th
career kill and Hawaii is too grand
for Loyola-ChicagoBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comTheocharidis slapped the hands of his teammates and jogged back to his spot on the court to prepare for the next play. But the crowd of 3,838 at the Stan Sheriff Center didn't let him underplay the accomplishment. They climbed to their feet as the set went in Theocharidis' direction and gave him a roaring ovation when the ball landed.
"I wasn't thinking about it, but they were making such a big deal about it that I had to think about it," said a jubilant Theocharidis, adorned in orange and magenta leis as colorful as his personality. "It wasn't so much about the record as it was to help my teammates win the game. I've never thought about it. Wow, it's a lot of kills, that's impressive.
"I can't wait for Senior Night. I think I'm going to cry Senior Night. I don't know if I'll be able to contain my feelings. It's been incredible these four years and having all these great teammates."
When Theocharidis left the match in Game 3, the crowd voiced its appreciation and applauded him again. The native of Orestiada, Greece, was presented the match ball by Warriors coach Mike Wilton. Theocharidis took the ball and bowed to a crowd that seemed hesitant to leave.
"I knew (the moment) was coming," Wilton said. "It's going to be a lot more special the second night against USC when it's Senior Night and four of our guys will be honored. But it was nice to see him get recognized and get that out of the way. As far as the match tonight, I think we got right back into it pretty quickly. We scheme-blocked much better tonight."
The Warriors (12-5) were outblocked nine to four but were effective in slowing down the Ramblers' middles. On Wednesday, middle blocker Dan Haas hit 1.000, but yesterday he was held to a modest five kills and .250 hitting percentage. Outside hitters Mike Alesch and Justin Schnor had 12 kills apiece to lead the Ramblers (10-5).
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Costas Theocharidis celebrated his 2,000th kill as the crowd gave him a standing ovation and photographers surrounded him.
Only Theocharidis' feat made an otherwise hum-drum match interesting. His teammates started the match by dropping to their knees in mock worship as Theocharidis' name was called during the prematch introductions. In case Theocharidis wanted to forget about kill No. 2,000, the Warriors on the bench wouldn't let him. They held up their hands for the countdown, putting down a digit with each kill. The three-time All-American finished the match hitting .419 with 17 kills and two aces.
Theocharidis seemed to inspire several teammates who appeared to have extra pop in their swings. Seniors Tony Ching and Eyal Zimet both hit over .500 and contributed 14 and 11 kills. Even freshman Matt Bender, a serving specialist most of this season, contributed when he replaced Theocharidis in Game 3 with the outcome already decided. Bender blasted the first set that Kimo Tuyay sent his way to bring Hawaii to match point.
"I was so nervous, but I kind of had a feeling that Kimo would set me the ball," Bender said. "I hit well in warm-ups and I saw the seam (in the block) and went for it.
"Costas is the best player I've seen my entire life. Playing with somebody like that is a dream come true and watching him break records, he's just an amazing guy."
After six early ties in Game 1, Hawaii pushed its lead to 15-10 when middle Brian Nordberg crushed an overpass. The Warriors put away balls at will and outhit the Ramblers .529 to .267.
Theocharidis' 1,999th kill gave the Warriors a 13-9 lead in Game 2. Two plays later, he launched his jump serve way beyond the endline and into the lower section of the arena. But he made up for the errant serve when his 2,000th kill gave Hawaii a 19-15 lead. In Game 3, the Warriors used a 6-0 run to take control after a 7-7 tie.
The Warriors return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play as they travel to UCLA next week.
Notes: In the latest NCAA statistics, Theocharidis is second in the nation in kills (5.39) behind Joe Daigler (5.50) of Southhampton. ... Sophomore Delano Thomas is fourth in blocking (1.48 blocks per game) and tied for seventh in hitting percentage (.462) with Long Beach State's David Lee. ... During the break between games 2 and 3, Alicia Kea had an opportunity to win $1 million in a contest if she chose the right envelope out of 100 laid on the court. She didn't pick the right one, but Kea, who was attending a volleyball match at the Stan Sheriff Center for the first time, didn't go home empty-handed. She won a trip for four to Walt Disney World. ... Today is Brian Nordberg's 23rd birthday.
RAMBLERS (10-5, 7-1 MIVA) Hawaii def. Loyola-Chicago
30-22, 30-21, 30-24
G K E ATT PCT. BS BA D Alesch 3 12 5 28 .250 0 1 3 Davis 3 4 0 8 .500 1 1 5 Haas 3 5 1 16 .250 1 4 1 Shroeder 3 5 0 12 .417 0 1 0 Schnor 3 12 6 23 .261 0 2 2 Kellum 3 7 2 16 .312 1 3 3 Linstroth 2 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Thuet 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 Kryzak 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 7 Walwyn 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 Totals 3 45 14 103 .301 3 12 23 WARRIORS (13-5, 7-5 mpsf)
G K E ATT PCT. BS BA D Tuyay 3 2 2 5 .000 0 3 4 Zimet 3 11 2 18 .500 0 0 14 Theocharidis 3 17 4 31 .419 0 0 3 Ching 3 14 3 21 .524 0 1 3 Nordberg 3 5 3 14 .143 0 1 1 Thomas 3 9 0 13 .692 0 3 1 Motter 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Muise 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 8 Bender 2 1 0 2 .500 0 0 0 Woodward 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Stanhiser 1 1 0 1 1.000 0 0 0 Totals 3 60 14 105 .438 0 8 34 Key -- g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- LOY (1): Davis. Hawaii (5): Zimet 2, Theocharidis 2, Ching.
Assists -- LOY (43): Davis 38, Kellum 2, Haas, Schnor, Kryzak. Hawaii (57): Tuyay 53, Zimet 2, Ching, Nordberg.
T -- 1:34. Officials -- Dan Hironaka, Wayne Lee.
A -- 4,980.
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