UH volleyball's Ching out for month with injury
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai‘i volleyball player Tony Ching has been diagnosed with a muscle tear in the back of his swinging shoulder and will not be able to compete for up to four weeks.
"It's very frustrating," Ching said. "I turned it on this offseason, and I thought I would have a good year."
Instead, Ching will weigh his options as he begins an intensive rehabilitation program. Ching, a junior from the Kamehameha Schools, can apply for a medical hardship, which is essentially a redshirt season, and, if approved, would have two seasons of eligibility remaining after this year.
"I'm going to miss so much volleyball, so it would be nice to be able to redshirt," Ching said. "I'll talk it over with the coaches. I have to look at what the team needs. I'm not sure what the future holds."
Ching was held out of last week's three-night Outrigger Hotels Invitational because of soreness in his right shoulder.
Yesterday morning, he was told medical tests showed a tear in his right teres minor, a muscle near the back of the shoulder that laterally rotates the arm and stabilizes the shoulder joint. The injury is not related to the torn shoulder muscle that required surgery last August.
"They said it's going to take time to heal," Ching said.
The injury, which will not require surgery, is being treated with massages, ice packs and electrical stimulation. Ching also performs stretching exercises to try to decrease the scar tissue.
"This is a blow to us and, even more so, to the young man," UH coach Mike Wilton said.
Ching, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, is a strong hitter, skilled blocker and accurate passer and server. Freshman Jose Delgado started in place of Ching during the Outrigger tournament. Delgado is an effective hitter and blocker, but he is not as accurate a passer as Ching.
Also, UH does not have an experienced backup to starting outside hitters Delgado, Costas Theocharidis and Eyal Zimet. Middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic can play on the perimeter in an emergency, but Delano Thomas, Brian Nordberg and Geronimo "Jo Jo" Chala are strictly middle players.
