Hawai'i will not host volleyball final four

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

In a decision that surprised even the winning bidder, the NCAA championship committee selected Long Beach State as host for the 2003 men's volleyball final four.

Long Beach State was picked over defending national champion Hawai'i and UCLA.

"It's very disappointing," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "I can't imagine a better volleyball venue than Hawai'i."

The NCAA alternates regions for its championship tournament, with the final four staged in the West one year and the Midwest or East the next. The final four always is held in a West city during odd-numbered years.

The NCAA was prepared to award the final four to UCLA. But during the 2002 final four at Penn State in May, the NCAA decided to reopen the bidding. It was believed that the large interest generated by Warrior fans encouraged the NCAA to reconsider UH as a host. The Warriors have led the country in attendance for eight consecutive years.

UH's original bid guaranteed selling 3,000 tournament ticket packages in the 10,000-seat Stan Sheriff Center. Although there were capacity crowds for the final four in 1997, the only time UH served as the tournament host, school officials decided to base their guarantee on the number of UH season ticket holders for men's volleyball.

Instead, the NCAA went with Long Beach State, which served as host in 2001. The Pyramid's 5,000-seat capacity is half that of the Sheriff Center's. The NCAA's decision was made before the Warriors could submit a revised bid.

As defending champion, Wilton said: "we would have loved the opportunity to have the tournament here. But that didn't happen, and so we'll turn the page and move on."

For now, Wilton is preparing for the Warriors' trip to Shanghai for four days of exhibition matches. It is believed to be the first time an American college team will compete in Shanghai. Wilton said the competition for a spot on the travel roster will be tough. He said he will take 12 players on the Nov. 15-24 trip. Including walk-ons, UH's fall roster could total as much as 30.

Meanwhile, Wilton said middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic, who completed his NCAA eligibility in May, has "retired" from competitive volleyball. Miladinovic, who already has earned a bachelor's degree in finance, will return to UH to complete work on an MBA. Wilton said Miladinovic is invited to serve as a volunteer coach.

UH also has approved upgrading a part-time coaching position to full-time. UH began advertising the job opening Sunday. Wilton's son, Aaron, a former All-America player, was the part-time assistant last year and is considered the top candidate for the new position.