California Baptist turns back Hawai'i

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i middle blocker Delano Thomas goes high over a California Baptist block for a kill in last night's match. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

This time, the Warriors could not escape the unpleasantness of last night's five-game loss to California Baptist, the NAIA's top-ranked team. The scores were 23-30, 33-31, 30-28, 22-30, 15-10 .

The Lancers (17-2) have the advantage of more available scholarship dollars and the NAIA's more liberal eligibility rules. But that meant little to the Warriors (13-7), who are members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the NCAA's best conference. Last night, the Warriors could not overcome the Lancers' imposing block and gritty defense in losing for the sixth time in their last eight matches.

In two losses to Brigham Young last week, the Warriors fielded a make-shift lineup necessitated by the suspension of four players, including starters Delano Thomas, José José Delgado and Pedro Azenha. The four were reinstated this week, although only left-side hitter Thomas started last night — at middle blocker, in place of injured Mauli'a LaBarre.

And while the Warriors played with enthusiasm, especially at the end of Game 3 and all of Game 4, UH setter Kimo Tuyay said, "Effort can only go so far. I'm just so tired of losing right now. It's frustrating. We're getting so close, but we can't close it out. I don't know what it is, but we have to figure it out pretty soon."

The Warriors dominated Game 1, in large part to the hitting of Azenha's replacement, opposite hitter Matt Bender. They had several four-point leads in Game 2. But serving for game point, Thomas hit into the net. Bender's ensuing attack was wide left, allowing the Lancers to tie it at 29.

"We absolutely gave away Game 2," UH coach Mike Wilton said. "It was gift-wrapped. There's no question about that."

By the middle of Game 3, Azenha and Delgado were in the scorer's book. Wilton also summoned freshman Brian Beckwith, who had started all but the past three matches, in place of Tuyay.

"You have to do something," Wilton said. "When the lightbulbs are out, you have to change them. Some guys came in and did some good things. Maybe we were a little more sporadic at the other positions."

With Tuyay back at the controls in Game 4, the Warriors coasted, setting up the first-to-15 final game.

"I was nervous about Game 5," CBU coach Ryan McGuyre said. "I felt we've struggled making adjustments within (a match) this season."

But in the fifth game, the Lancers produced five of their 17 blocks, finishing off the match with consecutive rejections. Coupled with the Lancers' active defense and accurate passing, UH outside hitter Ryan Woodward muttered, "It was discouraging."

The Lancers' lineup included two players from Ghana, one from Brazil and one from Poland. Still, the Lancers entered with little knowledge of the Warriors, who were secretive about their plans for LaBarre (sore left foot) and the reinstated players.

"We had to play a cat-and-mouse game early," McGuyre said.

But McGuyre implored his middle blockers Sergio Rose and Artur Kusio to try to get a handprint on every UH shot.

"They were getting touches all of the time," UH's Tuyay said. "When they're getting touches, they're making digs and converting on those plays."

UH's Woodward added: "The most discouraging thing for any team is when you're getting dug. The worst thing is when you hit the ball hard and you think it's a great hit and you look across the net and somebody's popping it up."

CBU libero Tyler Hagstrom said he noted that when a UH hitter faced a solo block, the Warrior would try to slam the shot straight down.

"I tried to read the hitter's shoulder to see where he was going and then I tried to get under (the shot) as fast as I could before it hit the ground," Hagstrom said.

Kusio said that by the third game, the Lancers were able to decipher the Warriors' hitting tendencies. Delgado tried to hit high off the block; Bender preferred angle shots. Delgado was blocked six times and Bender was rejected five times.

"They had a good block out there, and I wasn't doing smart things with the ball," Bender said. "That's my fault. Kimo was setting me unbelievably, and I was blowing it out there. I have to be smarter."

CBU's Kusio said: "Volleyball is a game of adjustment. You have to know how the other player likes to hit. If you can know how to react to the other player, that is every important."

The rematch is tonight.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.