Warriors wary of a letdown
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
While the fans' attention will be on today's ring ceremony, the defending NCAA champion University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team will focus on its play on the rectangle court.
Advertiser library photo • May 10, 2002
The Warriors will receive their championship rings before their 7 p.m. exhibition match against the UH alumni in Stan Sheriff Center. (Two matches between alumni teams will start at 5 p.m.)
"You always have to wonder and worry about success going to people's heads," said UH coach Mike Wilton.
Although tonight's match does not count, UH coach Mike Wilton has warned his players that it will help set the tone for the coming season.
Wilton said the Warriors have improved physically from strength coach Mel deLaura's conditioning program. But he said that after players win championships, "you always have to wonder and worry about success going to people's heads. It's something I think about. I wonder how hungry some people are. Is one ring enough? I wonder about a lot of things."
Wilton said he often is reminded of what happened after the Warriors reached the NCAA title match in 1996. With almost the same roster, the Warriors went 18-11 in 1997, losing in the opening round of the league playoffs after winning the match's first two games.
"I'm very concerned about teams that are successful in Hawai'i," Wilton said. "The adoration quotient is off the charts. The fan attention is wonderful, it's fantastic. But it's the players' responsibility to put it all in perspective. At the start of our fall training, we talked about being the hunters, not the hunted."
• What: UH Men's Alumni Night • Where: Stan Sheriff Center • Schedule: Alumni vs. alumni, 5 p.m.; presentation of 2002 national championship rings, 7 p.m.; exhibition between UH and alumni to follow • Tickets: $5 (general admission), $3 (through high school), $1 (UH students) • Parking: $3 • TV/radio: None
Two of last year's seniors, middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic and libero Vernon Podlewski, will play for the alumni. But Wilton said the Warriors are experienced on the outside, with seniors Costas Theocharidis, Eyal Zimet and Tony Ching, and sophomore Jose Delgado.
Warriors volleyball
UH is three-deep at setter, led by junior Kimo Tuyay, and sophomore middle blocker Delano Thomas "is off the charts compared to how he was. He's just a physical specimen. He's really becoming a force."
Thomas benefitted from playing with the U.S. Junior National team during the summer. He was named a tournament's Most Valuable Spiker, a rare accomplishment for a middle hitter. This fall, he often works out on the sideline during football practice, running sprints or jumping for high passes thrown by deLaura.
Josh Stanhiser, who was a member of UH's basketball team last spring, will start at the other middle position tonight. Brian Nordberg is recovering from a shoulder injury and will not be available until the season-opener in January.
Pedro Azenha, an outside hitter who also can play in the middle, is not expected to suit up tonight. Azenha, who was raised in Brazil, is awaiting an NCAA ruling on how many matches he might have to miss because of participation in international tournaments. Once the ruling is issued — he is expected to miss four regular-season matches — Azenha will be allowed to compete in exhibition matches.
Wilton said he expects a ruling before the Warriors leave Nov. 15 for an eight-day trip to Shanghai. "We have a visa and passport for him," Wilton said. "Hopefully, he can make the trip."
Wilton said he will use all of UH's available players tonight.
"It should be a nice test," Wilton said.
The alumni team includes Sivan Leoni, Jason Olive, Erik Pichel, Curt Vaughan and Aaron Wilton.
