[ UH VOLLEYBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Delano Thomas blasted a kill past a UC San Diego player last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Warriors sweep Tritons
No. 4-ranked Hawaii defeats
UC San Diego for the
30th consecutive time
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It was never more apparent than when No. 4 Hawaii met No. 15 UC San Diego last night in men's volleyball.
Hawaii: 3
UCSD: 0
NEXT UP:
vs. UCSD on Friday
The surprising Tritons came into the Stan Sheriff Center with everything going for them except their history against the Warriors.
UCSD had the reigning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation player of the week in Kevin Keyser, a rarity for the Division II program, and an even rarer Top 15 ranking, thanks to a stunning victory at No. 6 Stanford last Saturday.
It didn't matter.
For the 30th consecutive time, Hawaii defeated UCSD -- 30-25, 30-22, 30-25. It took just 95 minutes for the Warriors (3-2, 1-1 MPSF) to sweep the Tritons (4-3, 2-2) for the 23rd time and snap UCSD's modest two-match win streak.
Hawaii hitter Delano Thomas, who turned 21 on Monday, celebrated with a team-high 17 kills. The junior's 15th kill sparked a 5-0 run late in Game 3 that helped the Warriors pull off the sweep in front of 2,730.
The serving of senior Arri Jeschke also keyed the rally. He completed the 5-0 run with an ace that gave the Warriors the lead at 24-22.
"We were trailing and I guess maybe there were thoughts that we might lose that one," said Jeschke, who had one of Hawaii's seven aces. "But you have to have faith, and some hope."
The loss only added to the Tritons' unhappy visit.
The air conditioning in their hotel failed Tuesday night and the team suffered through a warm, mosquito-annoying night.
It was almost as annoying as the meltdown in Game 3 for UCSD coach Ron Larsen. It was 25-25 and then it was over, with the Warriors closing it out with two blocks, a Triton error, a kill by Matt Bender and Thomas' match-ending ace.
"We know they're a better team than they showed and I'm sure they'll be better on Friday," said Thomas, who had three aces.
Larsen hopes so.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Pedro Azenha, who returned to the starting lineup last night, slammed a kill against UCSD.
"Hawaii is very physical and you have to pick up your game against them," the Triton coach said. "They were a little better than we were tonight. We just have to make a commitment that we're going to go after it the whole match. We had a lot of players who had never been to Hawaii before and there was some nervousness out there.
"We would have liked to set the middle a little more tonight, but we didn't have the best passing night. I thought we picked it up late, but by then our middles were uninvolved. Once that happens, it's hard to get them back involved.
Keyser (10 kills, 11 blocks against Stanford) had four kills and was in on four blocks last night. The other middle, Adam Rusch, had two kills. UCSD was led by Jim Waller's 19 kills and six block assists.
The Warriors welcomed sophomore Pedro Azenha back into the starting lineup. Azenha, who missed the road trip to UC Santa Barbara two weeks ago, had 12 kills but struggled.
Senior captain Kimo Tuyay (ankle sprain) was also back on the court for the first time this season. He set the third game.
Hawaii pulled away in the last third of a tight Game 1. Neither team had enjoyed more than a three-point lead until Josh Stanhiser's fourth kill of the night sparked a three-point run that gave Hawaii a 24-19 advantage.
Azenha had all three of the Warriors' hitting errors in Game 1, as well as four kills. Hawaii hit .444 to UCSD's .276.
The Warriors dominated Game 2, with Thomas putting down four kills during a 10-4 run that gave Hawaii a 20-13 lead. The Tritons got not closer than six the rest of the way, with Stanhiser closing it out on an ace.
The Warriors' attack was very efficient statistically, hitting .409 for the match. With the exception of Azenha (seven errors, .179), no UH player had more than two hitting errors.
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