Alligator tears flow

Florida will see what it missed out on tonight in UH's Jamie Houston, the recruit that got away

Timing is everything.

Had Florida coach Mary Wise come in harder sooner when recruiting Jamie Houston, the 6-foot-2 sophomore hitter would be staring across the net tonight at No. 7 Hawaii instead of staring back at the Gators as a member of the Rainbow Wahine.

"I could have gone there, but ... a day late and a dollar short," said Houston, the reigning Western Athletic Conference player of the week. "Coach Wise showed up at my high school a day before I was going to sign here (at UH), had my itinerary all ready for a campus visit.

19TH HAWAIIAN AIRLINES CLASSIC Schedule: Today, Colorado (1-0) vs. No. 10 UCLA (3-0), 4:30 p.m., No. 5 Florida (2-0) at No. 7 Hawaii (2-0), 7 p.m.; Tomorrow, Florida vs. UCLA, 4:30 p.m.; Colorado at Hawaii, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Florida vs. Colorado, 2:30 p.m.; UCLA at Hawaii, 5 p.m. TV: All matches, KFVE (Ch. 5) Radio: All matches, KKEA (1420-AM) Tickets: $3-$19.

"I thought about it for a few seconds then said 'No, I've already told Hawaii I'm signing.' And I have no regrets. It's like family here."

There was quite a bit of family pressure on Houston, the two-time Alabama prep state player of the year, to sign closer to home. Mom Debra Holt was in the process of moving to Orange Park, Fla., about 60 minutes away from the Florida campus in Gainesville.

Dad James, living in Knoxville, Tenn., said he'd give her his Lexus if she chose to play for the Volunteers.

"All I can say is I'm happy she honored her commitment to us," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "It would have been very easy for her to end up at Florida.

"The main thing she's improved on since last year is her back row (defense). She had to come out most of the time last year. She's in the (passing) formation this year and held her own last week."

Houston more than held her own last week on offense, with two double-doubles: 21 kills and 19 digs in the season opener against No. 19 Pepperdine last Friday and a career-high 28 kills and 13 digs in Saturday's victory over the Waves.

Hawaii senior setter Kanoe Kamana'o said she didn't hesitate when Houston started calling for the set at the end of Saturday's match against Pepperdine.

"She has that go-getter attitude and competitive spirit," Kamana'o said. "She's never giving up and that's that kind of player you want to have on your side of the court, always calling for the ball.

"She reminds me of Kim (All-American Willoughby), the way she leaps, jumps, has good hang time, very athletic. Jamie is still attacking the same way, attacking hard from Game 1 to Game 5."

Houston has only seen Willoughby -- the UH leader in kills, kill average and attempts per game -- on tape. But she has seen Willoughby's touch mark on the weight-room wall.

Willoughby holds the vertical-leap record of 34 1/2 inches, while Houston -- who touches 10-5 -- is at 32.

"Three more inches and I've got her," Houston said.

Houston smiled when she said that, her same reaction after getting blocked. She feels she'll eventually exact her revenge.

"My thinking is, 'OK, you got me this time, but I'm going to get the next ball and you're going to be in trouble,' " Houston said. "Of course I'm going to smile, I'm not going to let my team think I'm down.

"It's like Friday (against Pepperdine) and we were down 2-0. In the locker room there was no panic. It was, 'We're OK, just win the next three.' We all just felt that we could do it."

Being able to come back like they did against Pepperdine twice in five last week won't be as easy against the Gators. But Houston, a sociology major with law school aspirations, is very judicial in her prediction.

"If we continue to play together, we'll be fine," she said. "I'm excited to play a team I almost played for."

Timing is everything.

Notes: BYU men's volleyball coach Tom Peterson, who led the Cougars to a national championship (2004), and another at Penn State (1994), resigned yesterday. No reason was given. He was 90-30 in four seasons, 23-7 last year. Assistant coaches Shawn Patchell and Ryan Millar will serve as co-head coaches until a search for a new head coach is complete.

Minnesota women's volleyball coach Mike Hebert, a teammate of UH coach Dave Shoji's at UC Santa Barbara in the 1960s, this week revealed that he has Parkinson's disease. Hebert, 62, is in his 11th season with the Gophers and 32nd overall as a collegiate coach. His former players include setter Lindsey Berg (Punahou), a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. Hebert said he has known of his illness since 2004 and, with medication, hopes to continue coaching indefinitely.