It's a love match every night for UH volleyball team

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Women love the members of the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team.

University of Hawai'i volleyball players — such as Brian Nordberg, Dejan Miladinovic and Kimo Tuyay — enjoy playing to the crowd. Advertiser library photo

Every match, Leona Yagi and Lauretta Sewake from Wahiawa sit in the first row of the end line, waving Kinko's-laminated signs, such as "Grecian Formula" when Greece-raised Costas Theocharidis hits a ball. There is a green sign for every player and nearly every situation.

At the end of every match, a group of female fans will sneak to the front row, and wait for autographs from the players. The Warriors have played nine home matches this season; some fans have nine Theocharidis autographs.

"Maybe they have a collection or something," said outside hitter Eyal Zimet, who has his own strong following.

Said Theocharidis: "If they want more autographs, I'm willing to sign. I don't mind. I never had this kind of attention before in my life. It's very nice."

Booster club member Marsha Azuma of Manoa said: "Most of the guys, particularly from Europe, are very patient. Some of us can be overbearing at times when asking for autographs, but they're very good about it."

Because a last-call warning — "The arena is now closed" — is announced at least four times after every match, a woman now positions herself in the section above the tunnel leading to the UH locker room. She has successfully ringed a lei around Zimet's neck.

Once, a teammate gave out Zimet's telephone number. After a sleepless few days, he changed his number.

To be sure, the Warriors' popularity is not as great as in the mid-1990s, when Aaron Wilton, now a UH assistant coach, recalled players having to hide in laundry bins to sneak past insatiable fans. But the school's marketing department estimates female fans — many in their teens — compose more than 60 percent of UH volleyball crowds.

Hawai'i head coach Mike Wilton has lobbied to expand the number of youth seats in the lower bowl from one section to three.

The female fans want to hug outside hitter Jose Delgado, think it is cute middle blocker Brian Nordberg uses a shoelace as a headband, scream when Tony Ching's name is announced, and ask Zimet to be their prom date.

"They send letters and flowers and stuff," Theocharidis said. And what's in the letters? "They express their feelings," he said. "That's all."

Following an exhibition on Maui, fans asked for Nordberg's shoestring. Setter Kimo Tuyay has been asked for headbands and, even, used towels. "It's kind of weird, but very flattering," Tuyay said.

Delgado said 20 minutes before each match, he will walk around the arena to admire the hand-made signs. A woman held a sign that read: "Jose, can you see?"

"Oh, my God, that was good," Delgado recalled. "It takes a lot of time to make a sign. It's a good feeling to see signs."

Unlike other sports, after every match, the Warriors meet in the middle of the court for about a minute, then walk to the stands to greet fans.

"We are very grateful for the support the team is getting here, and that's our way of showing our appreciation," Zimet said. "Even if we lose, we want to show our appreciation. The fans are not to blame if we lose. They're our guests. We want to thank them for coming and make sure they enjoyed the match."

Nordberg, who transferred from UC Santa Barbara last summer, said the fans' support of the Warriors is unique, as evidenced by the number of people remaining after matches.

"That never happened in Santa Barbara," he said. "In fact, the first autograph I signed was after a UCLA match at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion — and I signed it for some 75-year-old man."

Nordberg said his parents and two younger brothers in California "definitely laugh when I tell them people want my autograph."

Delgado said he often feels sorry for opposing players.

"When we went to UOP, there were only 200 fans, and a lot of them were cheering for us," Delgado said. "Sometimes I feel bad for the other players. They can't experience what we experience over here. Our fans are the best."