A cry of relief this time for UH's Ching

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Friday was University of Hawai'i volleyball player Tony Ching's 21st birthday.

But more significantly, it was three seasons ago when Ching, as a Kamehameha Schools senior, lost to Punahou in the state high school championship match.

UH teammate Daniel Rasay brought up that fact during a team dinner Friday night, and Ching, still scarred by the memory, renewed a pledge to settle that score.

After the loss to Punahou, Billy Ching recalled, his son cried for nearly 20 minutes. Finally, Billy Ching said, "Go to UH and try to win a national championship. That's better than a state championship."

Tony Ching, an outside hitter known for his emotional play, channeled his energy into the best performance of his college career last night. He hammered a season-high 17 kills, made nine digs and assisted on three blocks.

"I came out and didn't want to lose this," he said. "I was road-raging all night."

UH outside hitter Costas Theocharidis praised Ching, saying, "He had an all-American performance."

Setter Kimo Tuyay said Ching was so effective it was impossible to resist his pleas for the ball.

Ching, who usually hits from the left side, repeatedly challenged the Waves' imposing block. When he was in the back row, he called for pipe sets, in which he circled to the middle and hits liners from behind the 3-meter line.

"I was looking at the seams," Ching said. "I found the seams, and then I got into a nice rhythm."

Ching has had an uneven season. He missed one road trip after he argued with the coaches during practice. Then he did not play in the two regular-season matches at Pepperdine because of walking pneumonia. In last week's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title match, one of Ching's serves struck the scoreboard behind the Pepperdine endline.

The Waves had won the three previous matches against the Warriors, but Ching said, "I didn't try to put any added pressure on myself. But I wasn't about to let them beat us again. I mean, four times in one year is four times too much."

Ching even contributed on defense, helping Eyal Zimet, Vernon Podlewski and Theocharidis receive the Waves' powerful serves.

"We're all working for a common goal," Ching said.

After the match, Ching celebrated with teammates. After completing his final interview, he retreated to a corner of the locker room, slumped onto a bench and wept.

This time, it was a cry of relief.