Pepperdine on roll despite injuries
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Malibu, Calif., is where the stars come to live, the beaches become postcards, and a Barbie doll is Malibu Barbie.
It is peaceful and playful, a perfect escape for everyone but the members of the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team.
For the third-ranked Warriors, this trip is fool's gold, the sparkles masking the gritty business of the two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against Pepperdine, the nation's No. 2 team. The teams meet tonight and tomorrow night.
"They're a very, very good team," UH coach Mike Wilton said.
The Waves (18-4, 13-2) have won six in a row. Thirteen of their victories were completed in three games, including the first sweep at Brigham Young since 1992.
Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy, a realist in a pessimist's body, admitted, "We're doing better than I expected."
Entering the season, Dunphy was concerned about replacing All-America outside hitter Scott Wong and setter Keith Barnett. Pono Kahale, counted on for outside hitting, was ailing from shoulder surgery. He has played in five matches.
Then Bryan Newcomb suffered an ankle injury, and Beau Daniels, a senior who played sparingly after transferring from a junior college last year, became the starting setter.
But in pieces, the Waves suddenly came together. Assistant coach Fred Stork worked with Fred Winters, Wong's successor.
"He was pretty much a basketball player who was an opposite on club volleyball teams," Dunphy said of Winters. "Fred Stork did a good job teaching him how to pass. His forearms were black and blue, but he became a good passer."
Sean Rooney, a 6-foot-9 outside hitter from Illinois, now a hotbed of volleyball, emerged as a dominant hitter.
Those scenarios eased the way for middle blocker Brad Keenan to assume a leadership role. "Brad is having a good year," Dunphy said. "He's a year older and a year wiser."
The Waves run one of the quickest offenses in the MPSF, with Daniels finding hitters with mid-height sets. His favorite target is 6-foot-8 Keenan, who specializes in the back-slide move. While most middle hitters rarely move laterally, Keenan will take a running start to the outside to chase down sets. His pet move is to scoot past Daniels for a back set.
The scheme keeps defenses scrambling and offers Keenan, who is accurate on line and cross shots, more hitting choices.
"You can't completely stop him, so you have to try and take away something," Wilton said.
Of greater concern is the pace of the Waves' offense. "It's 'see-ball-go,'" Wilton said.
The Warriors spent yesterday's two-hour practice focusing on passing, serving and shifting their block laterally.
After that, the coaches changed their post-practice plans. Instead of returning to the hotel, the team went to an amusement park, which featured go-carts, miniature golf and batting cages. This was, after all, Malibu.
"I thought they deserved to have a little fun," Wilton said.
