[ WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL ]
RONEN ZILBERMAN / RZILBERMAN@ STARBULLETIN.COM
Arri Jeschke spent two seasons at Santa Barbara Community College so he could save up money to move to Hawaii and play volleyball for the Warriors. The UH senior will make his first start tonight when the Warriors take on top-ranked BYU.
Turning fantasy
into realityOutside hitter Arri Jeschke makes
his first start for Hawaii tonight
against No. 3-ranked BYU
It's the perfect game for CaliBoy780.
It takes skill, good hand-eye coordination, working with teammates and a lot of practice to get good. It's never the same game twice.
It could very well be volleyball that Arri "CaliBoy780" Jeschke is describing. Instead, it's his other love: Counter-Strike, the world's No. 1 online multiplayer action computer game where "your role affects your team's success," according to the Web site description.
"I really like it," Jeschke said. "You get to talk and work with other people. There's a lot of team play involved. It is, I guess, a lot like volleyball."
The fantasy game becomes reality tonight for Jeschke, a senior for the No. 5 Hawaii men's volleyball team. The outside hitter will make his first career start against No. 1 Brigham Young, replacing suspended sophomore Jose Delgado.
The Warriors will be undermanned underdogs at the Stan Sheriff Center against the Cougars, winners of their last 14. Four UH players were suspended earlier in the week for violating a team rule, leading to a revamped lineup for the two-match series with BYU.
Jeschke is one of three new starters for the Warriors. He's looking forward to the challenge.
"To beat BYU ... I think we definitely can if something special happens," Jeschke said. "It's a dream come true, playing the No. 1 team in the nation. We're going in with nothing to lose and holding nothing back.
"If we get blocked or aced, it doesn't matter. If we lose, we lose. It's expected. But if we win, if we pull something out, it will be very memorable."
Such has been the story of Jeschke's life, turning fantasy into reality. He decided he wanted to play for Hawaii after seeing the Warriors play against UC Santa Barbara while still at Santa Barbara High School.
"I remember that they weren't very tall," the 21-year-old said. "They had shorter guys who were quick and could jump. That kind of fit my profile. It didn't seem like size mattered, it was the all-around capabilities of the player.
"I thought I could fit in really, really well. But I didn't have the money to come out and I wasn't being recruited out of high school. So I went to JC (Santa Barbara Community College) for two years to save up and then get my butt out here."
THAT WAS the plan. But when the acceptance to UH actually came, "it was really nerve-wracking," Jeschke said. "I had never been on my own, I'd been living at home the whole time. This was a big, big step in my life. But this has been a very good jump in my life."
Tonight will be a huge leap for Jeschke, who has been mostly used as a defensive/serving specialist. He has rarely seen front-row action, although he played well enough last week in replacing Delgado that Warrior coach Mike Wilton had been considering making the change even before Delgado was suspended.
"I'm not so sure Arri wouldn't have been starting," Wilton said. "He's worked very hard."
Jeschke knows he's going to have to compensate for his height -- or lack of it. He's listed at 6-foot-2, but "I'm a flat 6-feet," he admitted. "I'm 6-1 in shoes. I am a little undersized.
"It was a lot easier in high school, playing outside hitter. All the hitters (in college) are so good, especially at juking you out. What I try to do is catch people off guard. I can get up and over (the block). I have surprised people."
Jeschke's jump serve is what takes most opponents by surprise. He developed it while at SBCC with two goals in mind: hit it hard and get it in.
This season he has a 47 percent scoring efficiency, meaning the Warriors score 47 percent of the time that he serves. Wilton likes his servers to be at 35 percent or better.
"Coach told me he doesn't care about aces, he likes the bad passes," said Jeschke, who has eight aces in 16 matches.
"He's a real good server," UH assistant coach Aaron Wilton said. "He's a great athlete, explosive, a good all-around player. You can tell he's from Santa Barbara and a beach player. He has all the skills.
"Every once in a while you see some fire. He plays with fire that's contagious. Personally, I'd like to see that a little more, that excitement."
Getting excited for tonight won't be a problem, said Jeschke.
"I'm nervous, but I'm ready to go," he said. "I think some good things will happen. Things are definitely happening this week, being handed this opportunity. I can't believe it.
"Playing here is a fantasy. I never thought it would be like this, having all the fans, having people watch you and wanting you to go in. Volleyball wasn't really big back in Santa Barbara. I still feel like I'm living in a dream world and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
AFTER THE SEASON'S over, Jeschke plans to finish his degree in business management. He'd like to give beach volleyball a go but knows he'll likely end up in the restaurant business like his parents and brother.
His parents recently opened "Risona's" in Santa Barbara, a restaurant named after his mother and serving "tropical seaside cuisine," according to Jeschke. It's a mixture of Hawaiian, Indian, Thai and Mexico where "loco moco" means fried jasmine rice with chicken-pork sausages and caramelized onion gravy.
His brother Peter, a tennis pro and former All-American at Arizona State, also runs "Tupelo Junction" with wife Amy. It's Southern-style cooking.
The choice in cuisine is as diverse as the family itself. Jeschke's parents met in Kathmandu and were married in his mother's village of Meghela, India.
Jeschke's given name is Steven, but he has always used his middle name of Arri, which means "two worlds coming together" in his mother's language.
It's the perfect name for Jeschke, who plans to bring his "Counter-Strike" skills to the court tonight in real time.
CaliBoy780 is in the room.
Let the game begin.
Who da guys?: Due to four suspensions and an illness Hawaii will dress four new plays for tonight's match.
Senior Jake Muise, who was the starting libero last season, will be in uniform for the first time this year. Also dressing will redshirt freshmen Eric Kalima, a 5-9 libero, and 6-5 hitter Kimball Taylor, who redshirted at BYU before transferring.
Also in uniform will Austin Rester, a 6-7 senior hitter with an athletic resume. He played football at Texas Tech and basketball at Weatherford (Texas) College before transferring to Hawaii.
"I love how they all play," Wilton said. "These guys all end up as possible role players this week. They've all worked hard."
Suspended earlier this week were three starters -- 6-7 junior hitter Delano Thomas, 6-5 sophomore hitter Pedro Azenha, and 6-3 sophomore hitter Delgado -- and reserve freshman middle Dio Dante.
Freshman setter Brian Beckwith has practiced this week but is "more of cheerleader," Wilton said. Beckwith, who has started all previous 18 matches, will yield his position to senior Kimo Tuyay. Beckwith has been sidelined with a throat infection since last week.
