EVAN PATAK

Patak is a freak of volleyball nature. At 6 feet 8 and 260 pounds, Patak is built like a lumberjack — and swings like one, too.

"He's a big hitter," said Hawai'i coach Mike Wilton, whose team hosts the Gauchos tonight in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match.

In a five-game victory over Stanford in January, Patak slammed 48 kills, shattering the record in the NCAA's rally-scoring era.

In the fifth game, Patak pounded 13 kills (with no errors) in 15 swings.

"That's unheard of," UCSB coach Ken Preston said.

After aiming so many back-sets at Patak, setter Dane Jensen resembled a limbo contestant.

"I kind of went off, kind of clicked," said Patak, whose last name rhymes with "attic."

By Game 5, "I was just in the zone," Patak said. "There's not much people can do to stop me. It was pretty sweet."

Patak, who goes by the nickname "Tank," was born without a "pause" gene.

He was an avid wakeboarder until moving to Santa Barbara, where he developed a passion for the sport of downhill mountain biking. The basic rule is this: Pedal as fast as you can toward a ramp or jump, then see what happens.

"That keeps me in trouble enough," he said. "It's a dangerous sport. You can go anywhere up to 40 mph. ... In free-ride mountain bike, you go off big drops and big jumps. It's about having air time, baby."

Perhaps his most daring act came as a senior at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, Calif. He was offered full scholarships in basketball and partial scholarships in volleyball. He chose Door No. 2.

Patak has emerged as the key hitter for the surprising Gauchos. They are third in the MPSF, volleyball's best conference, despite several setbacks.

They opened the season by losing all three matches in their own tournament (Elephant Bar Invitational). Recently, outside hitter Jake Wiens, who was third on the team with 2.76 kills per game, left school.

"Apparently, he did not like school," Preston said. "He's gone."

But Preston said a well-balanced lineup — they start three seniors, a junior, two sophomores and a freshman — has created cohesiveness.

"It's a good mix of classes," Preston said.

The Warriors, meanwhile, have become more guarded. While practicing yesterday, they chased away several Gauchos who wandered into the Stan Sheriff Center.

UH coach Mike Wilton said he will not reveal his starting lineup until pre-match introductions. Left-side hitters Pedro Azenha and Matt Bender and libero Alfie Reft have secured starting jobs.

Wilton said he has not resolved the competition at setter (Daniel Rasay, Brian Beckwith), the two middle positions (Kyle Klinger, Dionisio Dante, Mauli'a LaBarre) and opposite hitter (Lauri Hakala, José José Delgado, Matt Carere).

"Everyone will find out at 7 o'clock," Wilton said.

The Warriors, who are in fourth place, need to at least hold that position to secure a favorable MPSF Tournament schedule. The top seed receives a bye until the semifinals, and Nos. 2-4 host opening-round matches.

Reft, who played at UCSB as a freshman before transferring to UH prior to last season, said, "It's a big match for us. I want us to win for the standings, not because it's Santa Barbara. Playing Santa Barbara is a nice little perk. It's in the back of the mind, I'm not going to lie to you. But winning is the most important thing right now."

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

Today's MPSF matches