Advertiser Staff
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Hawai‘i men’s volleyball team ran on reserve fuel.
Long Beach State just ran away, claiming a 22-30, 30-22, 31-29, 30-24 victory before 1,235 in the Pyramid.
UH, which fell to 9-3 overall and 5-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, played without outside hitter Costas Theocharidis (food poisoning) and setter Kimo Tuyay (flu symptoms).
How the No. 6 Warriors would have fared against the third-ranked 49ers (7-2. 6-2) if the two starters had played "is a non-issue," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "All I want to comment on is the cards we played."
Tony Ching, who replaced Theocharidis at outside hitter, and setter Kyle Denitz, making his first start, gave the Warriors an early lift. Ching finished with 19 kills and four block assists; Denitz assisted on 51 of the Warriors’ 58 kills and contributed to two blocks.
In the first game, the Warriors scored 13 of the first 16 points and led by 11 four times, the last at 21-10. But the 49ers outscored the Warriors by 19 the rest of the match.
UH’s early dominance was built on blocks and aces — not the foundation needed for the long haul. When the 49ers began attacking from the outside — Jim Polster, Scott Touzinsky and Dave McKienzie combined for 53 kills — the Warriors’ defense crumbled.
The 49ers’ strong serving led to sloppy Warrior passing. McKienzie had five aces, including three in a row in the fourth game.
The Warriors, who return to the Islands today, are not scheduled to play again until March 2. But in Wilton’s math, "the two-week break will last until Tuesday. We’ll go back to work Tuesday morning."
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