Posted on: Saturday, January 17, 2004
Freshman hitter lifts UCSB over Hawai'i in five games
Advertiser Staff
In a show of volleyball wizardry, second-year freshman Evan Patak helped UC Santa Barbara bedazzle Hawai'i in a five-game victory in Robertson Gym at Santa Barbara, Calif.
The scores were 30-27, 29-31, 30-20, 26-30, 15-11.
Patak, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound opposite hitter, blasted 31 kills (in 49 swings), served three aces and produced eight digs and eight blocks.
"He had a big night," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "He's a big kid and he has a heavy (shot)."
UCSB coach Ken Preston had said Patak redshirted last season to help in acclimating to college life. Patak went on to start for the bronze-winning United States team in last summer's World University Games. Last night, Patak sprayed the Warriors' side of the court with angle, line and high-off-the-block shots.
"He came into his own," Wilton said.
So, too, did the Gauchos, who gave away 55 points on hitting and service errors in a four-game loss to the Warriors on Thursday night. Last night, the Gauchos went with this strategy: Set quickly to left-side hitter Jake Wiens and set the rest of the time to Patak.
The Warriors countered with a strong performance from opposite hitter Matt Bender, a third-year sophomore starting in place of injured Pedro Azenha. Bender hammered 25 kills. Outside hitter Delano Thomas had 20 kills and four aces. Thomas was serving when the Warriors rallied from a 29-27 deficit in Game 2.
But UH middle blocker Joshua Stanhiser struggled with his block reads and outside hitter Jose Delgado could not control his accuracy. Delgado had 11 hitting errors in 24 swings. Arri Jeschke, who was raised in Santa Barbara, replaced Delgado at the start of Game 2 and, soon after, Dio Dante was summoned for Stanhiser.
Despite Stanhiser's struggles in the two matches, Thomas, an All-American middle blocker last season, will not move from the outside. Wilton said Stanhiser, Dante and Mauli'a LaBarre will rotate in the two middle positions.
Wilton said Bender also will remain at opposite when Azenha returns in time for the Warriors' next match on Jan. 28.
