Awestruck fans cheer victorious Warriors
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
A funny thing happened yesterday at Eastside Grill, Magoo's and Players sports bars near the University of Hawai'i:
About midway through the fourth game of the NCAA Volleyball Championship between the Pepperdine Waves and the UH Warriors, an odd stillness fell over the fans glued to the tubes.
"I've got 14 screens in here and every one of them is tuned to the game," said Robbie Acoba, owner of the East Side Grill.
The Warriors had just won two straight games and were leading by two points, so Acoba could be forgiven for being a little bewildered by the strange quietness.
Over at Players, Dave Blanchard and Stan Maebori were chatting casually at the bar, eyes fixed on one of two large screens in the room, while some 45 others were doing the same thing.
"I hope they don't go five games, because I remember they lost to UCLA in the fifth game," said Blanchard.
"I think Hawai'i is at it's peak," commented Maebori, almost casually.
It was as if the whole sports gang sensed something was about to occur that had never happened before — and by golly they weren't about to blow it by getting excited.
But the volume at all three bars picked up three decibels after Hawai'i went ahead by four points — 20-16.
"Ten!" Maebori exclaimed so suddenly that he almost startled himself. "Ten more points!"
Over at Magoo's, Patrick Ortiz was thinking the same thing.
But it was when outside hitter Tony Ching nailed the 21st point that fans at all three bars could hold back no longer. In short order the score was 26-22, then 27-22.
"The fans are going bonkers!" yelled the announcer on ESPN when the score was 28-23, and the Warriors had such momentum that it was suddenly ridiculous to think Pepperdine could pull out a win.
It was all over but the shouting — except the shouting had already begun.
At 29-24, everybody was on their feet.
"Game point!" screamed Maebori, a second before Warrior outside hitter Costas Theocharidis made history and the winning point in the same nanosecond.
The cheers erupted at Players. At Eastside Grill, about 80 fans were out of their seats, hugging and laughing and shaking hands.
"This is great," Acoba said. "This is fantastic. I knew we had a great team. Oh, man, after the first game, we beat them all the way through. Every time we made a mistake, they'd make a mistake back again. They never could take advantage of our mistakes, but we took advantage of theirs."
The scene was the same at Magoo's.
"The first national championship ever for any men's sports team in UH history!" Ortiz shouted. "I'm stoked! We lost to Pepperdine three times already this year, and we lost the first game today — but then we won the only game that counts!
"I hope a huge crowd shows up to greet them when they arrive back at the airport."
The idea of being national champs was such a new experience for some yesterday, that they weren't sure how to react.
At Eastside Grill, Kai Peleholani and his friend Josh Amano joked about starting a riot — going up to UH and breaking out windows.
"Maybe I'll go outside and turn over my own car," Blanchard quipped at Players.
Instead, he and Maebori settled back in their seats and ordered another beer. More than an hour later, they were still talking about the game. By that time, though, most of the sports crowd had thinned out.
All three bars were quiet once more.
After a protracted silence, Blanchard finally spoke.
"The trouble with this is that it's over early," he said. "It's only 3:45. I don't know what to do now."
Reach Will Hoover at 525 8038 or at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
