Posted on: Saturday, March 2, 2002

Warriors go to their ace to roll over USC

Advertiser Staff

Just when things appeared dim and grim, outside hitter Costas Theocharidis served notice the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team would battle.

The 6-foot-3 Theocharidis hit .613 (21 kills in 31 swings) and served a school-record nine aces to lead the Warriors to a 30-13, 32-30, 30-26 rout of Southern California last night in North Gym in Los Angeles.

"He answered the bell," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "Whenever it was close, Costas went back and ripped them."

The Warriors improved to 11-3 overall and 8-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, remaining in first place.

The Warriors were undermanned entering North Gym, a dimly lit facility in which the lighting system casts long shadows onto the court. Outside hitter Tony Ching did not make the trip following an argument with the coaches Tuesday, and outside hitter Eyal Zimet, the team's best passer and server, was unavailable because of a stomach disorder.

"He was feeling crummy (Thursday), and it got really bad during the night," Wilton said of Zimet. "As soon as we left for the gym, I knew he wouldn't be able to play. He's a security blanket for our guys. He's always there, making good passes and serves. We had to go to Plan B."

Freshman Jose Delgado moved from the non-passing outside position to Zimet's spot on the left side. Geronimo "Jo Jo" Chala, who has played sparingly because of knee and ankle injuries, took Delgado's usual position.

"It made for some interesting times," Wilton said.

The tone was set early. With the first game tied at 9, the Warriors scored 15 of the next 18 points, with six of the points coming when Theocharidis served.

"You should have seen the USC guys," Chala said. "They were quite scared."

Theocharidis said he worked extra on his serving during Thursday's practice. "I thought it could be a big weapon for our team," he said. "I felt comfortable, so I decided to rip it. I knew USC, despite being unranked, loves to play against Hawai'i. I knew they would play hard. We blocked well and passed well and played well."

The Warriors used accurate passes and a quick block to negate USC's towering middle. The Trojans hit .209.

UH middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic had seven kills and six blocks.

The Warriors also received a boost from setter Kimo Tuyay, who struggled in recent matches. Last week, Tuyay shared time with Daniel Rasay. But Wilton called an end to the platoon, and said Tuyay will be the full-time setter.