Posted on: Sunday, May 9, 2004

Antenna clips 49ers' storybook ending

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

A volleyball antenna probably is as thick as the cotton on a Q-tip. But yesterday, it was large enough to settle the NCAA men's volleyball championship.

With Long Beach State facing match point, opposite hitter Scott Touzinsky tried to hammer a line shot into the vacant lane on Brigham Young's side of the court. But Touzinsky's shot struck the antenna, for the third time in the match, giving BYU the title.

"I saw an opening down the line, and I missed it," said Touzinsky, one of three 49er seniors. "That's all I can say. If I could have redone it again, I'd go with the exact same shot."

It was bitter final act for a player who had single-handedly dominated the early games. In Game 1, Touzinsky blasted four aces and was the server for 11 Long Beach points. Coach Alan Knipe was not surprised, saying, "I see that every day in practice. ... He's the best server in the country."

BYU primary passer Fernando Pessoa said: "We got aced so many times during the first game, the only thing you can do is relax and do your best. You have to relax. If you get desperate, you'll lose even faster."

Pessoa said the Cougars' strategy changed when Touzinsky was serving. Instead of passing to setter Carlos Moreno near the net, the goal was to place a pass near the 3-meter line.

On defense, the Cougars tried to set the block on Touzinsky's angle shots. "He has all of those shots, but probably (down) the line is his weakest one. We tried to exploit that."

At match point, the Cougars again defended the crossing shot. Touzinsky, off a running start, saw nothing but blue Sport Court straight in front.

"I hit the antenna three times today," Touzinsky said. "I don't think I've done that in a match in my whole entire career at Long Beach State."

Touzinsky's career ended yesterday, but Knipe said, "It doesn't change how I feel about him or the other seniors. Scott is one of the best volleyball players in the country. ... That's not even a little bit of how much he's meant to us. He's been a leader on and off the court. He's brought this group together. He's an unbelievably popular student-athlete on campus. He speaks well. He represents himself well. He represents the athletic department well. He'll be really missed."

Notes: There were 7,815 tickets distributed for the tournament. Hawai'i officials had guaranteed selling 7,800 tickets for each day. ... The BYU players wore championship hats and T-shirts after the match. The NCAA actually ordered hats and shirts for each team in the final four.

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