There's no tomorrow for Warriors, USC

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Brenton Davis spikes over USC's Donny Killian during the Warriors' four-game victory at the Stan Sheriff Center last month. The teams play tonight in the first round of the MPSF playoffs. Advertiser library photo • March 16, 2000

Mess up on a test, there's a makeup exam. Score low on the PlayStation, hit the reset button. Want more news, there's the afternoon edition.

Perhaps that is why we feed our basic instinct for risk by turning to sports and, even more so, why we turn to tonight's mens' volleyball match between Southern California and host Hawai'i in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Simply, this is how the creators designed it: The survival of the fittest.

The winner advances in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation postseason. The loser plans its postseason banquet.

"If we lose, we're kicked out," UH middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic said. "If we win, we keep playing. This is 'Volleyball Survivor.' "

The MPSF made sure of it, bestowing a No. 4 seed on UH (which is No. 2 in two national polls) and a No. 5 on USC. With top-seeded Brigham Young all but assured a berth in the NCAA final four, the Warriors likely would need to win the eight-team MPSF playoffs to qualify for the national tournament.

"For sure, this is important," UH outside hitter Costas Theocharidis said. "There is no margin for losing."

Said Miladinovic: "We can have a bad match if the other team has an even worse match. But, no, we have to play well. We just can't lose."

History is on the Trojans' side; they have five starters from a team that eliminated the Warriors in last year's MPSF playoffs.

But recent history — and circumstances — favor the Warriors, who won this season's only meeting in four games last month in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Tonight, the Trojans will be without outside hitter Eli Fairfield, who was top server and digger before quitting the team last week. In a team scoring formula, USC determined that Fairfield was its most productive player.

There was speculation that Fairfield might return, and the Warriors prepared this week as if he would be in the lineup. UH assistant coach Tino Reyes even joked that Fairfield might make a surprise appearance, saying, "Beware of the Trojan horse."

But USC coach Pat Powers confirmed that Fairfield will not rejoin.

"He's done," Powers said.

Powers said he still has not decided on a hitter to start opposite Brook Billings, an All-America outside hitter. The candidates are 6-foot-5 senior Beau Rowl, 6-7 sophomore middle blocker Mark Dusharme and 6-5 freshman Michael Hickman. Rowl has the experience, Dusharme brings power.

But Powers said he is not concerned, at least offensively. Without Fairfield, the Trojans hit .410 in a loss to UC Santa Barbara last week.

"What (the loss of Fairfield has) done is require some leadership from other guys," Powers said. "It's like, what if he were injured? What would happen? It's the same thing. We're trying different guys there."

In any scenario, Powers said, Billings will be the featured hitter. Billings is believed to have the most powerful swing in college volleyball. USC officials said Billings once burst a volleyball on a spike.

"He's taking on a greater load," Powers said.

Late-season adjustments

While Billings' shots are strong, they also can be erratic and, sometimes, defendable. Billings' shots usually have heavy topspin, making them easier for a defender to "bump."

"It's easier than (a shot) that's coming straight and high," UH libero Vernon Podlewski said. "You can stay low, so you can dig it. If I have to sprawl forward to dig it, I'll sprawl forward. It's better than having to come up to make the dig."

Miladinovic said that if a blocker is positioned correctly, a hard shot can become a defensive weapon. "The harder it's hit, the harder it comes back," Miladinovic said.

If Billings struggles, setter Miles McGann is expected to go to Plan B — senior outside hitter Trevor Julian or middle blocker Donny Killian.

As late as a month ago, McGann's sets were often predictable; since then, he has improved at setting quicker.

"He's coming along," Powers said. "He's made the biggest progress."

UH freshman setter Kimo Tuyay also has adjusted from a rough period when he struggled with his accuracy. While it was believed a sprained finger on his left hand contributed to his woes, Tuyay blamed his difficulty on reading opponents' serves and his teammates' passes.

He said he often would be positioned incorrectly, and his body wasn't "square" during sets. He said extra practice has improved his sets.

"It was a reading thing," Tuyay said. "When you're square on first contact, the ball will go where you want it to go. Now, I pretty much know how I want to receive the pass and where I want to set the ball."

Meanwhile, UH outside hitter Eyal Zimet said he will play, despite constant pain in his left shin. Tuesday's magnetic resonance imaging, a procedure that uses highly magnetic fields to produce pictures of the body's interior, showed a stress fracture.

Dr. Andrew Nichols, the team physician, recommend rehabilitation of rest, ice treatment and calcium pills.

"It needs rest, but I don't have time to rest," Zimet said. "Hopefully, I can rest at the end of the season. But I don't want the season to end for a long time."