[ WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL ]
On the verge of No. 1,
UH focuses on Pacific
There were 561 fans at Maples Pavilion on Saturday night, a good number of whom came to root for Hawaii in its volleyball match against Stanford.
There was one, however, who watched and walked away shaking his head, wondering how the Warriors had been beaten twice this season.
MPSF volleyball
Who: No. 2 Hawaii (8-2, 5-1) at No. 15 Pacific (4-9, 2-6).
When: Today and tomorrow, 5 p.m. HST
Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM.
TV: None
Series: Hawaii leads, 22-1.
"They were the best team I've seen all season," Pacific coach Joe Wortmann said in a telephone interview from his Stockton, Calif., home yesterday. "They served better than any team I've seen and they have the best tandem of outside hitters (Pedro Azenha and Delano Thomas) I've seen.
"That spelled gloom and doom for Stanford. If they play the same way, I wonder what it will mean for us. I was very impressed with the effectiveness of Hawaii. They are a very good team."
No. 2 Hawaii (8-2, 5-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) puts its six-match winning streak on the line today and tomorrow against No. 15 Pacific (4-9, 2-6) at Spanos Arena. Neither team is treating it as a holiday.
"Pacific has a nice team and Joe (Wortmann) is a really good coach," said Hawaii coach Mike Wilton. "From the tapes I'm looking at, they've passed well and have some weapons. But we'll be ready to go."
The Warriors enjoyed their day off yesterday, playing tourist in San Francisco. The team spent a few hours at Fisherman's Wharf before making the drive to Stockton.
Hawaii has a serve-and-pass session this morning at Spanos Arena, which seats 6,150, a little more than the entire enrollment of UOP.
It will be the first look at the court for all but three of the Warriors; only senior setter Kimo Tuyay, junior hitter Jose Delgado and junior hitter Thomas have played in Spanos before.
Tomorrow could bring a new experience for the team as well. With No. 1 UCLA losing last week to Long Beach State, Hawaii likely will move into the top spot in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 15.
"I think we have enough leadership on this team, players who were with the championship team (2002) who have been around long enough to realize that's not what our focus is," said Wilton.
"All that matters is now, and that is UOP."
Hawaii has defeated UOP the past 13 meetings. The Warriors hold a 22-1 edge in the series, with the lone Tiger win coming on April 5, 1997, in five games.
Wortmann said for his team to have a chance to end the skid against UH, the Tigers will have to serve and pass well. And hope that Hawaii doesn't.
"I think we're a fantastic digging team but not an exemplary blocking team," he said. "But the better you serve, the better you can block.
"What we saw in the stands (Saturday) was Pedro and Mr. Thomas bringing it pretty darn hard (serving). We'll need to pass well and we can't serve easy because Hawaii runs a very efficient, high-potent offense."
In their 3-0 win over Division III LaVerne on Friday, the Tigers had 12 aces, including a career-high seven from junior opposite Nils Dauburs. Dauburs has 28 aces for the year, with St. Louis School product Brian Zodrow second on the team with 15.
Zodrow broke into the starting lineup last year when UOP played at Hawaii, and the 6-foot-3 opposite has become a fixture in the lineup. So has 6-4 senior middle Adam Catania from Mililani High.
"What I've seen from the Hawaii players we've brought in is how they work hard and just keep plugging away," said Wortmann. "Adam broke into the lineup that way, but just keeping at it. I've been real happy about our Hawaii players. There's a lot of factors when you recruit. It's all about a match."
Hawaii didn't give Catania nor Zodrow much of a look. Pacific took a stab at Thomas, who grew up in nearby Sacramento, "but we didn't connect with him," said Wortmann. "He's a marvelous player but we weren't a match for him."
Notes: Thomas leads the team in aces (18) and kills (160). He needs six kills to reach 600 ... Mauli'a LaBarre hit 1.000 against Stanford on Friday, putting down all 11 attempts. The previous school best (minimum 10 attempts) was .846. Current assistant coach Aaron Wilton set the record against Loyola Marymount in 1996 and it was tied last year by Josh Stanhiser against Ball State.
