UH tries to keep There's a secret to winning a national championship.
momentum against
struggling team
The Warriors play the
Gauchos and go after
their 10th straight winBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comLeave UC Santa Barbara.
It is probably just coincidence, but the last two players to transfer from the Gauchos have won national championships at their respective new schools.
Former Brigham Young All-American Joaquin Acosta transferred from UCSB after his freshman year. As a junior, Acosta helped the Cougars win their second national title in three years in 2001.
Current Hawaii senior Brian Nordberg arrived at Manoa last fall. The Warriors won the national championship nine months later.
UCSB didn't have any players transfer this season but the Gauchos (9-17, 4-14 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) lost half their starters from last year's senior-laden team. Setter Britt Galang, All-American outside hitter Andy Rivera, and opposite Ben Koski finished their eligibility last year.
UH volleyball
Who: UC Santa Barbara at HawaiiWhere: Stan Sheriff Center
When: Tomorrow and Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: KFVE, Ch. 5, live
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM, live
A relatively green group has been testing the patience of Gauchos coach Ken Preston.
"We're training two new setters. They're both true freshman. It's been a little difficult in that regard," Preston said. "They're learning and they're getting better. I think we're getting better. It's a tough league to get your feet wet in.
"We had a good year last year and we're not real successful this year, but they're good kids. They try hard. We'll compete hopefully."
Freshmen Bart Kowalski and Dane Jensen have had to learn how to run a collegiate volleyball offense on the fly. Though their numbers are similar, Kowalski has been getting the starting nod.
It is obvious UCSB misses the serving and hitting of Rivera and Koski. But the Gauchos also don't have the leadership that can swing close matches from the loss column to the win column. UCSB is 2-4 in five-game matches.
"I think a couple of games haven't gone their way," Nordberg said. "They have the same libero, same middles from last year. Teams just come in waves. Unfortunately their wave was a little smaller this year.
"I know they're not playing as well as they like to. The only thing I can say is that the last two times UH played Santa Barbara, there have been absolutely complete opposite performances by both teams. We smoked them in three the first night, they smoked us in three the next night."
With only four conference victories this season, No. 15 UCSB seems in for a thrashing both nights. Second-ranked Hawaii (19-5, 13-5) has won nine straight and can close out the regular season on a 13-match win streak. UCSB and USC, the Warriors' final opponents, are a combined 6-28 in MPSF play.
But the Gauchos' lone conference win against a non-cellar-dwelling team has the Warriors a tad nervous. UCSB's sweep of BYU earlier this season indicates the Gauchos have a few hidden tricks they can pull when they need to.
The Gauchos' revolving door at outside hitter makes it difficult to scout them and their victory against the Cougars proves they can play at a level above their inexperience.
"They've got some young players. The setters are young. Their outside hitters aren't as good as last year," associate coach Tino Reyes said. "They're going to serve as hard as they can against us. If they don't make their serves, they're going to lose anyway with their regular serve.
"They'll probably gamble on the block. It's not a risk for them. If they play a normal game, they're going to lose anyway because they don't have enough talent. ... The second game, we might be afraid of those guys. We may have to do something different the second night."
UH Athletics
