Klinger flying high
with Warriors

Relatively new to volleyball,
he found himself starting
last week vs. UC Irvine

Kyle Klinger: First played volleyball just four years ago

This is one tour of duty Kyle Klinger never anticipated. He joined the Air Force, expecting to become a mechanic and do some traveling.

Instead, Klinger discovered a new sport, one that would eventually take him to college and to Hawaii.

It has been quite a journey for the 6-foot-8 middle blocker, who never played volleyball until four years ago. And who found himself starting a Division I match for the Warriors at UC Irvine last week.

"I'm very lucky," Klinger said. "This is a dream come true. I'm getting to do the two things I really want to do: go to school and play volleyball."

Neither was in the flight plan for Klinger when he graduated from high school in 1999. He had not played sports at his Florida high school, opting instead for his family's sport: stock-car racing.

Klinger did well, even winning the local circuit championship when he was just 16. His father, Sterling "S.C." Klinger, still competes.

Mechanics and electronics came along with his track background and it wasn't much of a shift to airplanes. He enlisted in the Air Force and began working on aircraft ... and his height -- Klinger grew 3 inches after turning 19.

After a year at a base in Texas, Klinger was stationed at Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. There he saw volleyball played for the first time.

"I saw guys playing on the beach and thought, 'I could do that,' " Klinger said. "I did that for a year and then I decided to try out for the Air Force team."

He first learned of the UH program through the all-Air Force team coaches, brothers Malu and Ieta Sagiao of Hawaii. Malu Sagiao played for the Rainbow Warriors from 1978 to 1981 and "they always talked about this program, and how good it was," Klinger said. "I decided I wanted to go school there."

Klinger made two All-Air Force squads and last summer was selected to the All-Armed Forces team that competed in the International Military Sports Council championship in Canada. He opted out a year early after attaining the rank of staff sergeant to purse his educational and volleyball goals.

When junior Dio Dante was unable to play at UC Irvine last week, Klinger started the two matches. He had a combined 18 kills with two errors in 24 attempts, and was in on six blocks.

"I've played some pretty high-level volleyball," Klinger said, "so at UCI, I wasn't nervous at all. I just wanted to show what I could do.

"But when I played for the first time in the alumni match (Jan. 14), I was nervous. I never expected to play in front of 5,000-6,000 people. This has been all my expectations and more."

Because of his military service, Klinger's NCAA eligibility clock didn't start until this school year. Although he just turned 24 Sunday, he is considered a freshman and has three more years of eligibility.

"You don't get guys like this often," Hawaii coach Mike Wilton said. "He's mature, knows what he wants to do academically and he's not going to be high-maintenance.

"We knew he could play and he is an unexpectedly good find. He's a large guy and we're working on getting him to move his feet a little better. But he played well both nights (at UCI) and he's progressing."

Klinger has always been "big." He weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces at birth, according to his mother, Trina Katz.

"He always enjoyed sports and did well, but it took a while for him to grow into his body," Katz said in a telephone call from her Hollywood, Fla., home. "I'm really proud of him and happy that he's had this opportunity.

"I'm not surprised that he's been able to do this because Kyle is the type of person who, if he likes something, is going to give it 110 percent. I am surprised that he got this particular opportunity. But he's worked hard and he got lucky."

A broken foot set Klinger back last fall. He's worked hard to drop 15 pounds and, at 225, would like to get down to what he considers his ideal playing weight of 210.

"Losing some weight will help him get quicker," UH setter Brian Beckwith said. "He's still very raw and there's a lot for him to learn. It's a matter of him getting out there and getting the experience.

"He has improved. He did a good job last week. He's going to be good."

That's Klinger's plan as he finds himself in a role reversal from the past few years. He is the oldest member of the team yet is a real rookie in the sport.

"The biggest change is I'm used to a 40- to 50-hour work week and having my co-workers being much older," he said. "It's a big change from being the youngest to being the oldest ... although I'm the youngest when it comes to volleyball experience.

"I've played on a lot of teams and this is the best team I've ever played on. Everyone gets along, there's no drama. The person who helps me the most has been Pedro (senior hitter Azenha). He's been really helpful."

"He works hard, but sometimes he has a hard time," said Azenha, who will be 24 next month. "He did a really good job at Irvine, but he knows he could do better. I'm proud of him."

Klinger, a business major, is hoping to do more than make himself proud. He hopes that he can inspire other military players to come back and play in college.

"I know military guys playing who are really good," he said. "I hope I can open doors for them. I hope my experience can change the thinking."

Klinger knows all about change. After some self-described "wild teenage years," he said his stint in the Air Force straightened him out.

"I spent about a year and a half in the Middle East, got to see a lot of different places," he said. "Our squadron was never in Afghanistan or Iraq, but we were close. Most of the times, we were pretty safe.

"I've grown up. I don't sweat a lot of things that might have affected me at 18. School is easier now and volleyball ... I hope to keep playing volleyball for the rest of my life."

Note: Friday night is "Big Brothers Big Sisters Night" at Stan Sheriff Center. Big Brothers Big Sisters wristbands will be given to the first 500 fans.