Pacific itching to put move on UH
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
With Saturday's start of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's men's volleyball tournament, Pacific coach Joe Wortmann is thinking about the big dance.
• WHO: Hawai'i vs. Pacific • WHAT: First-round MPSF tournament match • WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m. • WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center • TV: Live on K5 • TICKETS: $12 for lower level, $9 for upper, $8 for senior upper (65-older), $5 for ages 4-18 and UH students with ID. Available at Stan Sheriff Center or TicketMaster at (808) 526-4400, TicketMaster outlets, and at www.ticketmaster.com.
"I must have been his inspiration," Wortmann said of Hawai'i coach Mike Wilton, who danced during last weekend's Senior Night festivities.
MPSF volleyball
During a power outage in last month's match between UH and Pacific, Wortmann performed a robotic dance, earning a rousing ovation from the Stan Sheriff Center crowd.
Of Wilton's dance moves, Wortmann mused: "Tell him I wasn't there to defend my title."
A different sort of prize — survival — will be at stake when the teams meet in the opening round of the single-elimination MPSF Tournament.
The Warriors, who ended the regular season in a tie for second with Brigham Young, believe they need to advance to the tournament final to merit consideration for at least an at-large berth in the NCAA final four.
"That's the way I figure it," Wilton said.
The Tigers, who are seeded sixth, know they are not contenders for an at-large berth. Their only hope is to win the MPSF Tournament and receive the league's automatic berth in the NCAA final four.
For the Tigers, the journey will not be easy. Because of the Easter weekend, they could not book a direct flight to Honolulu from San Francisco, which is 90 miles from their campus in Stockton, Calif. Instead, the Tigers have reservations on an early flight tomorrow from Los Angeles.
They will leave Stockton this afternoon, fly from San Francisco this evening and stay overnight in Los Angeles.
"It doesn't put us in the best shape," Wortmann said, "but we had no choice. Everything's overbooked."
Wortmann said his team is scheduled to practice at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
What's more, the Tigers could not book a return flight to the Mainland until Monday night.
"It's going to be a long trip," Wortmann said. "The saving grace is we don't have school Monday."
But if the Tigers were to upset UH, they would have only a day to spend in Stockton before leaving for Thursday's semifinals.
Wortmann said the travel difficulties negate the easy-recall benefit of playing in Hawai'i four weeks ago.
"Logistically, it won't be easy at all," Wortmann said. "We had to make arrangements for a large party right at Easter. To play a single match, it just requires a lot of effort. But we're happy to be in the playoffs, and we'll be ready to play."
