Posted on: Friday, May 7, 2004

NOTES
Sheriff patrons hear rare live music

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Long Beach State band accompanied the team to Honolulu this week.

It was the first time since the 1998 men's volleyball final four that a band played inside the Stan Sheriff Center during a volleyball match.

Long Beach State also brought along its 49er mascot.

Hawai'i men's volleyball coach Mike Wilton does not allow the UH band to play at its matches.

• Championships galore: The teams in this week's final four have accounted for five national championships since 1970.

Brigham Young has won two titles (1999, 2001) while Long Beach State (1991), Penn State (1994) and Lewis (2003) have won one each.

• Clicking the turnstiles: The highest attendance for a championship match was 9,822 back in 1998 when UCLA defeated Pepperdine for the title. Hawai'i hosted the final four that year.

The total attendance for that final four was 18,901, the most in the history of the tournament. The Stan Sheriff Center seats 10,300.

• Volleyball on television: ESPN2 will show last night's Lewis-Brigham Young match tape-delayed at 8 this morning, and broadcast tomorrow's championship live at 4 p.m.

• Hawai'i vs. final four teams: The Warriors posted a 2-4 record against teams in this week's final four.

Hawai'i defeated Penn State on Jan. 8, while Lewis defeated Hawai'i on Jan. 10. Hawai'i dropped two matches to BYU on March 18 and 20, and split two matches against Long Beach State, winning on April 2, and losing the next day.

• MPSF represented at final four: The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — the home conference of Hawai'i men's volleyball — has two teams in the final four, No. 1 seed Brigham Young and No. 2 seed Long Beach State.

Lewis, the No. 4 seed, competes in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Penn State, the No. 3 seed, competes in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.