Warriors sweep Long Beach State
Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
In every loss there is a lesson.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
And for the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team, the lesson was obvious: Only you can beat yourself.
Long Beach State's Jeremy Blain, center, sets up a shot for David Lee (21) as Hawai'i's Eyal Zimet goes for the block.
Or as Costa Theocharidis put it: "If we don't play, we lose."
So, as promised, the Warriors turned on the intensity and decided to win, overpowering Long Beach State, 30-18, 30-25, 30-22, last night at the Stan Sheriff Center in front of 3,791 fans.
Third-ranked Hawai'i improved to 10-3 overall, 7-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while No. 12 Long Beach State fell to 7-9 overall, 5-5 in the conference.
This was not the same team that lost in four games Wednesday night.
Not only were the Warriors more focused on the court, but they seemed more relaxed, as Dejan Miladinovic and Jose Delgado even helped toss shirts between games 2 and 3.
"I'm amazed myself at how different our team can be one night from another," said junior outside hitter Eyal Zimet, who posted 10 kills while hitting .643. "We have the chemistry, the friendship off the court. How we played tonight is what we're capable of."
The change in attitude led to a change in performance right from the start.
The Warriors started the first game in total control, hitting .464 as a team while committing just two hitting errors. The 49ers, by contrast, hit a measly .026, with 12 errors. Senior outside hitter Nicholas Marbach, who led the Beach with 23 kills Wednesday, ended the first game with no hits and two errors on five attempts.
The Beach fought back in the second game, improving its hitting percentage to .289. It kept the set close behind the arm of Marbach, who recorded nine of his match-high 17 points in the second game alone.
But UH's controlled passing and tough serving proved the difference.
Theocharidis turned on the heat with his serves, something he didn't do on Wednesday. He recorded two of the team's five aces.
"The first night I wasn't serving well and I was mad at myself," said Theocharidis, who led Hawai'i with 12 kills.
"Serving, by far, was key tonight," Zimet added. "If we serve like that, there are few teams that can get their offense into a system against us. Everything starts with our serve."
Thursday's practice, which focused mostly on serving and passing, seemed to make a difference in a team that typically records more service errors and less digs than its opponents.
"Preparation counts for a lot," said UH head coach Mike Wilton.
Good passing leads to better setting, which contributes to a more flexible, more effective offense. And that showed last night.
Hawai'i setter Kimo Tuyay, who struggled to find a groove on the road and against the Beach on Wednesday, exuded confidence on the court. He was aggressive on offense with five kills and on defense with four blocks, including a solo.
"Kimo really stepped up," Wilton said. "That kid can play that way. I think he was struggling earlier, focusing on what he does wrong. I wanted him to know he's our guy, that whatever he does, whether good or bad, he had to do it aggressively."
