UH volleyball ready to ramble

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Sports Writer

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Tonight's match facts When: Today and tomorrow—Loyola-Chicago, 7 p.m. each day Where: Stan Sheriff Center. Tickets: $12 adult (lower), UH student-rooter guest; $9 adult (upper, accessible), UH student-upper guest; $8 senior citizen (upper, accessible); $7 UH student-rooter; $6 student (age 4 through high school), UH student-upper, other accessible. Call 'Bows Ticket Hotline at 944-BOWS (2697). Parking: $3.

Last year, when injuries and inexperience limited the Warriors to an eight-player rotation, "everybody got a chance," outside hitter Eyal Zimet said. "This year, there's a fight to even suit up. The competition is good. Competition makes people play harder."

Wilton announced a familiar lineup. Middle blocker Brian Nordberg, who played at UC Santa Barbara last season, joins five returning starters: middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic, outside hitters Costas Theochardis and Zimet, setter Kimo Tuyay and libero Vernon Podlewski. Tony Ching, who split time with departed outside hitter Torry Tukuafu, becomes a full-time player.

But Wilton said the lineup was not resolved until yesterday afternoon, and that libero Jake Muise and setter Daniel Rasay nearly seized starting jobs.

In the end, Wilton decided, "For the first match, I think it might be better to play the guys who have played together the most."

Wilton said Nordberg, who replaces departed Brenton Davis, earned the edge over freshman Delano Thomas because "of his competitiveness and experience. He's blending in really well." Wilton said Thomas and Geronimo "Jo Jo" Chala, who is recovering from a double fracture in his lower right leg, will play extensively.

Although several players were covered with ice packs after practice, Wilton said, the Warriors are relatively healthy. Ching, who suffered a sprained ankle Friday, practiced without pain. Theocharidis, last year's national player of the year, said he no longer is bothered by a sore right knee that kept him from practicing last Friday.

"The knee is fine, I am fine," Theocharidis said. "I think we're ready."

Although the Warriors went 2-2 in fall exhibition matches — splitting at Penn State, site of this year's final four, and against Stanford on Maui and Moloka'i — the players were not pleased with their cohesiveness.

"It was a little discouraging, but I think we're back on track," Tuyay said.

The Warriors enter the season without a dress rehearsal. In the past, they played an exhibition against the alumni a few days before the opener. But the expanded league schedule this year caused the alumni match to be moved to November.

Loyola-Chicago is a feisty opponent. The Ramblers finished 19-10 last season and ranked 14th nationally. They reached the championship match of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament.

Wilton said the Ramblers are "quick to the pin," the vernacular for an offense that sets quickly to the outside. Brad Stoub, who averaged 5.03 kills per game last season, and Justin Schnor, who averaged 4.4 kills, are accurate swingers.

"They're big and they're good," Wilton said.

Loyola coach Gordon Mayforth served as an assistant on the U.S. team that won the gold medal in last summer's World University Games.

In six years, Mayforth has built a program that averages six sellouts a year in Loyola's 1,200 seat gym. Because of Loyola's expensive non-resident tuition, the Ramblers have never had a foreign-born player. In contrast, the Warriors have five players from foreign countries and two from U.S. territories.

"This is a good test for us," Mayforth said. "I think Hawai'i is one of the teams that can play for a national title."

In turn, Tuyay said, "We're anxious to play. We've been practicing for so long."