Warrior volleyball team opens against Lewis

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Costas Theocharidis feels the Warriors can dig up another NCAA title because of their work in the offseason. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

But outside hitter Costas Theocharidis believes the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team will be able to produce a worthy hana hou to last season's national championship.

"You know something, movies are movies, this is reality," said Theocharidis, whose team opens the season against Lewis (Illinois) tonight in the Stan Sheriff Center. "The film-makers are making movies for the crowd. We don't play for the money or the crowd. We're playing for ourselves and the love of the game, and I think we worked even harder during the offseason to put on a good show. The celebration of last season is over, but hopefully we'll have the same outcome this year."

Two 27-year-old starters — middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic and libero Vernon Podlewski — completed their eligibility last May. But Jake Muise, a two-year letterman from Nova Scotia, steps in at the defensive specialist position known as libero, and 6-foot-10 Joshua Stanhiser, a member of last year's UH basketball team, opens at one of the middle-blocker positions.

The other middle blocker is 6-foot-7 sophomore Delano Thomas, who is poised for a breakout season. Backup setter Daniel Rasay has referred to Thomas as a "stud." Outside hitter Eyal Zimet, one of the Warriors' three fourth-year starters, predicts Thomas will emerge as an All-American.

"I don't even think about that stuff," said Thomas, who admitted, "last year, I wasn't a leader. This year, hopefully, I can help the new players."

As a freshman in 2000, Tuyay often deferred to Miladinovic and the finicky Theocharidis. In three late-season matches last year, Tuyay was lifted after struggling to read the opposing blocks.

But Tuyay rebounded in the NCAA title match, going all the way to lead the Warriors to the first men's team title in UH history. After seven weeks of fall training camp, Tuyay exited as the clear No. 1 setter.

Tuyay enters this season with a new jersey number (3, his high school number), new 'do (he hasn't cut his hair since the final four) and new attitude.

"Now he's talking smack," Theocharidis said. "If you complain about the set, he talks back to you. Now he says, 'Just hit the ball.' He has more maturity. He has a better control of the game, rather than having the coaches call all of the shots. He's taking the initiative."

Tuyay said he is trying to become more of a leader. "Because I'm calling plays most of the time, it comes with the territory," he said. "We still have a lot of senior leaders, and I look up to them. I try to keep control when things aren't going too well. I try not to goof around too much."

Assistant coach Tino Reyes said Tuyay's development is part of "the natural evolution. When you're in high school, you're at the top of the food chain. When you're in college, you start at the bottom of the food chain. He's working his way up to the top of the food chain. Right now, I'd say he's a papio."

Tuyay was admittedly discouraged when he was lifted during matches late in the season. Reyes said the problems were traced to Tuyay pushing sets too much to the right. "He worked everything out," Reyes said. "Nothing magical."

Tuyay also said he worked on his footwork.

"Now," he said, "I'm setting it the way I should be setting it."

He also is wearing more protective tape on his fingers. In the last two years, he has suffered sprained fingers while blocking shots.

"He needs to grow or jump higher," Reyes said, laughing. "Actually, it shows he's doing a good job of blocking. You look at all of the best blockers in the world, and they have crooked fingers. You'd rather he gets hit on the fingers than the ball going through."

• • •