UH beats Lewis in 4

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pity the fool who doubts Hawai'i volleyball player Delano Thomas.

Proclaimed as "Mr. T" by one sign-waver, Thomas powered the Warriors to a 37-35, 30-22, 25-30, 30-24 victory over Lewis (Illinois) last night in the Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 4,134 watched Thomas seize control of the fourth game, when he hammered three kills and made seven blocks, including four solo rejections. He finished the match with 16 kills, 13 blocks and three aces.

"He just made up his mind, 'Nothing's getting by me,' " UH coach Mike Wilton said. "He put on a blocking clinic."

Thomas was so dominant the Flyers tried to steer their offense the other way. In the fourth game, only three Lewis kills were to the middle.

"He had a great performance," Lewis setter Jose Martins marveled.

Thomas said: "It felt good, man. I was going with the feelings."

In Wednesday's match between the teams, the Flyers struggled with their serves and passes. This time, they let loose, lasering jump serves into the pit of the Warriors' defense.

"I think they were just going for it," UH outside hitter Eyal Zimet said. "They didn't miss that many. That's very rare, I think. They caused a lot of problems for us. We usually pass well. They were more in the game. They were composed. They stayed focused. They didn't make many unforced errors. That made the match a lot more tighter."

The Warriors had to fight off game point two times in Game 1. A few times, they used five passers to receive serves, two more than usual. In Game 3, setter Kimo Tuyay was lifted after struggling to read the Flyers' block.

But during the three-minute break before Game 4, the quiet-spoken Thomas told his teammates: "We're not going to lose this game!"

Costas Theorcharidis opened the final game with two kills, then Thomas rejected Kevin Miller's shot and teamed with Tuyay to stuff Victor Bird's kill attempt.

"I play hard every time I go up to block," said the 6-foot-7 Thomas, who has a 37-inch vertical leap and can touch a marker nearly 12 feet from the ground. "I got to see the setter over and over again. You get to learn the tendencies. It helped a lot."

UH outside hitter Tony Ching, who finished with 18 kills, said: "Delano's a big force in the middle. He's going to be hard to stop when we're in system and running our passes. He just showed he has the ability to do it all — offense, defense, with the blocks. He kept us in the game."

Thomas also has eased Theocharidis' workload. In the last three years, Theocharidis, the nation's Player of the Year in 2001, has been the Warriors' go-to hitter. But Theocharidis has complained of soreness in his swinging shoulder. He has suffered from tendinitis in his right elbow and right shoulder the past two years.

With Thomas receiving more sets, "it's good for my shoulder, too," Theocharidis said. "It can take the pressure off. It's a good thing I'm not getting a lot of swings so I can save some energy for other games."

During the match, Theocharidis complained of fatigue. "Costas struggled, and I think he'll be the first to admit it," Wilton said. "He struggled, and when that happens, that's the cue for everybody to step up."

But Wilton noted, Theocharidis "struggled and yet he hit .324." Theocharidis finished with 18 kills.

Zimet, UH's team captain, said the team feels comfortable turning to Thomas for leadership. As a freshman last season, Thomas often deferred to his older teammates. But Thomas' confidence appears to have improved after playing with the U.S. Junior National team last summer.

"Delano's ability is undisputed," Zimet said. "Everyone can see his potential. What we're expecting of him is consistency, and he showed it so far. He's a natural leader for the team. We need him in every aspect of the game — his serves, his blocking, his offense. He did a great job. It doesn't surprise us. That's what he does. Now, he has to live with the expectations."

Last March, Thomas went to a tattoo parlor, where he had "Achieve Perfection" inscribed on his back in Mandarin characters.

"I'm trying, man," Thomas said. "I don't think you can ever get (perfection), but it's something to strive for."

In turn, UH middle blocker Joshua Stanhiser, who transferred from the Warrior basketball team, said he is trying to emulate Thomas. Stanhiser, in his second career start, had six block assists last night.

"If I could hit as well as Delano and get up that high," the 6-foot-10 Stanhiser said, "I'd be a happy person. He looks like he was doing pretty good on the blocks. That's what I'm working toward, too."