By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
An injured left forearm that will prevent opposite hitter Tony Ching from playing in the next four matches overshadowed the national recognition that the University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball team and outside hitter Costas Theocharidis received yesterday.
Theocharidis, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, was named the AVCA/Sports Imports national Division I/II Player of the Week after leading the Warriors to a sweep of Pepperdine, which was ranked No. 3 last week.
Also, Volleyball Magazine ranked the Warriors second this week, a jump of five places from last week’s rankings.
Still, all of that paled to the news that Ching will not play for the next two weeks because of injuries suffered in a moped accident Sunday night.
Ching said he was riding up the road near the UH football practice field when his moped skidded on loose gravel. His moped swerved and slammed into a steel railing.
Ching spent three hours at the Straub Clinic & Hospital emergency room, where he received at least 20 stitches for a deep gash on his left forearm. Ching, who wore a gauze wrap yesterday afternoon, said the injured area is 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.
He said he was told to keep his left arm elevated — he held it in a Statue of Liberty position yesterday — and will not be allowed to practice for at least 10 days. The Warriors play Southern California Friday; the next three matches are exhibitions.
UH goes on an important road trip at the end of the month, with two matches each against UC Irvine and UCLA, and Ching said it would be "very optimistic" for him to be ready in time.
During the last month, Ching and Torry Tukuafu have shared the job at opposite. There is no true backup at that position, although middle blockers Brenton Davis or Dejan Miladinovic could play there in an emergency.
"We’ve used up our depth," said UH coach Mike Wilton, who has used eight players regularly at the seven positions this season.
"We’re going to miss Tony," said Tukuafu, who feels no pressure to increase his productivity. "I just have to go out and do my job."
This season, the Warriors have relied heavily on Theocharidis, who won the national weekly award for the second time this season. Theocharidis, an All-American last season, is the featured hitter in an expanded role. Instead of hitting from only the front row, he now receives sets at all six rotations.
But Theocharidis said the award "is a team award." He also credited setter Kimo Tuyay, whom he compared to a holder in football. "Without him, I wouldn’t get a chance to hit," Theocharidis said.
As for the No. 2 ranking, Wilton said, "Whatever."
"It doesn’t mean anything now," Theocharidis said. "We could be No. 1 and lose in the first round (of the playoffs), and what would (the ranking) mean? We just want to focus on the next match."
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