Teams go to great lengths to play in volleyball event

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i senior hitter Eyal Zimet will try to serve an ace or two against Penn State tonight. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Outrigger Hotels Invitational What: College men's volleyball tournament Where: Stan Sheriff Center When: Today through Saturday Today: Ball State vs. Shanghai Oriental (China), 5 p.m.; Penn State vs. Hawai'i, 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow: Penn State vs. Shanghai Oriental (China), 5 p.m.; Ball State vs. Hawai'i, 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Penn State vs. Ball State, 5 p.m.; Shanghai Oriental (China) vs. Hawai'i, 7:30 p.m. TV/Radio: Live on K5 and 1420-AM

That was a shortcut compared to Shanghai (China) Oriental's 13-hour trek. Penn State's long day's journey into night — with stopovers in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles — clocked in at 17 hours.

Indeed, it is not easy — in the geographical and competitive sense — to play in the Outrigger Hotels Volleyball Invitational, a three-night round robin that begins tonight in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Not only does a team from the Midwest or East need a frequent-flier account, it also needs impressive volleyball credentials.

"The original game plan," said UH coach Mike Wilton, who co-founded the invitational in 1995, "was to invite the previous year's winner from each region (in the East and Midwest)."

That usually meant that East and Midwest teams that "go to the (NCAA) final four will get an invitation to Hawai'i" the following year, Wilton said.

This year's field includes three of the final four teams — 2002 national champion UH, Penn State and Ball State.

Until this year, 18-time national champion UCLA earned the fourth Outrigger berth. The Bruins have won five of the eight Outrigger titles, and own the best overall tournament record (20-3).

But because Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams play two regular-season matches against every league rival, Wilton believed, "that was enough," and decided to scratch UCLA from this year's guest list. Left unsaid was the exclusion prevents the Bruins, who won't play in Hawai'i this year, from using the trip to recruit Isle prospects.

Shanghai Oriental, which has five members of China's national team, replaced UCLA.

Inviting the Chinese team enables UH to reciprocate for November's exhibition tour in Shanghai, and introduces the international style to Isle volleyball fans.

"It's going to be good for the Hawai'i crowd," UH outside hitter Costas Theocharidis said.

Wilton said only a handful of teams have turned down invitations to the tournament. Last year, Ohio State declined, citing the strain of missing class time.

"You're missing four days of school, that's true," Wilton said. "I can't get around that. But you get to play in the best non-playoff tournament there is in men's volleyball. If it's not, I'd like to know what is."

Outrigger provides four nights of free hotel rooms for a visiting team, which also receives about $9,000 apiece in appearance fees.

"That really puts a healthy dent in the flight costs," Wilton said.

Last year, Penn State, which entered the Outrigger as the nation's No. 1 team, battled jet lag in losing its first two matches.

Still, Penn State coach Mark Pavlik welcomed a return, even though it meant a condensed schedule, only one full practice in Hawai'i and a five-hour time adjustment. It will be 12:30 a.m. back home when Penn State takes on UH tonight.

Pavlik told his players: "Look, this is one of the challenges you face when you want to play good teams. You've got to overcome jet lag. We can't miss that many hours to come here on a Sunday to acclimate. Do the best you can."

Pavlik said the Outrigger has prepared the Lions for tournaments. "We've had the opportunity to play some really good volleyball in the beginning of the year, which really helps us," Pavlik said.

UH's Theocharidis said the Outrigger Invitational serves another purpose: revenge. The Warriors have won the Outrigger only three times, finishing runner-up to UCLA the last three years.

Theocharidis said the Warriors still are smarting from losing two matches to Shanghai Oriental in November.

"The Chinese team beat us," he said. "We owe them one."

The teams meet Saturday night.

Theocharidis said Penn State, in turn, wants payback for last year's home loss to UH in the national semifinals.

"Penn State will try to take revenge," Theocharidis said, "but we're a good team. I think we're on a roll right now."