Warriors face UCLA for berth in volleyball final four
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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PROVO, Utah — To the victor belongs . . . the bench?
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TV: KFVE, 3 p.m.
In a symbolic move not lost on coach Mike Wilton, the members of the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team took over the north bench before last night's two-hour practice in the Smith Fieldhouse on the Brigham Young University campus.
That bench usually is reserved for BYU, the No. 1 team in the country. But after UH's four-game victory over top-seeded BYU in Thursday night's semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs, the Warriors seized control of the hot seats.
"We're deserving," UH outside hitter Costas Theochar-idis said.
But, he added, "It's not how we feel, it's how we play."
For the Warriors, ranked No. 2 nationally but seeded fourth in this tournament, unseating BYU will mean zip if they lose to third-seeded UCLA in tonight's championship match.
The winner earns the MPSF's automatic berth in next week's final four in Long Beach, Calif. Two other slots are reserved for the champions of the other conference tournaments. The at-large berth traditionally has gone to a member of the MPSF, the country's strongest conference.
The Warriors believe that, even if they lose, they deserve an invitation to the final four. "But it's been shown in the past that the most deserving team doesn't always get in," UH middle blocker Brenton Davis said.
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BYU coach Carl McGown said that his team, as the MPSF regular-season champion, deserves the at-large berth. Long Beach State, which lost to UCLA in the other tournament semifinal, is probably eliminated from consideration. But Wilton said Long Beach State's status as final four host might sway the votes. It is doubtful UCLA would receive an at-large berth.
Hawai'i's Kimo Tuyay digs a ball against BYU on Thursday as Vernon Podlewski looks on. UH will play UCLA today for the MPSF championship and a spot in the final four.
"Who knows what the (selection) committee is thinking," Wilton said. "Stranger things have happened."
Said UH middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic: "Personally, I don't think that the loser of (tonight's) match will get an at-large berth. I don't count on that one if we lose. That's why we have to win. A win will take care of everything."
But UCLA seems to get hotter when the mercury goes up. The Bruins have won 18 national championships; the Warriors have appeared in two final fours, earning nice parting gifts.
The Bruins are tall — their average starting hitter is 6 feet 8 — and deep. Most of all, they are smart, using skill instead of power to hit around and over blocks.
UCLA outside hitter Matt Komer, the team's most powerful swinger, usually tries to hit lasers down the line. Left-side hitter Mark Williams relies on crossing shots.
All-America middle blocker Adam Naeve is a riddle to most defenses. At 6 feet 10, Naeve tries to hit over blocks. Behind the wall of blockers, the diggers are left to guess which area Naeve will target.
Also, the Bruins try to hit deep, forcing diggers into long passes that tip off the direction of the sets.
"When it's hit deep, it's not coming low, it's coming at you," UH libero Vernon Podlewski said. "I have to relax and be patient and let the ball come to me. And I have to find (setter) Kimo (Tuyay)."
Tuyay had his best match of the season against BYU, first setting outside and then turning to the middle when Davis and Miladinovic faced single blocks.
The Warriors also believe they need to serve tough. They scheduled an extra one-hour serving drill for this morning.
"We're going to go out and take care of business as best we can," UH outside hitter Tony Ching said. "The tougher the road, the more confidence we get. When we play with confidence, we're a tough team to beat. That's the best thing about this team. Whenever everybody's against us, that's when we step up. We're not afraid of pressure. We're not afraid of putting it all on the line."
