Posted on: Friday, April 8, 2005
Long Beach sweeps Warriors
Advertiser Staff
Against surging Long Beach State in the Pyramid, the Hawai'i volleyball team was buried.
The victory — by scores of 30-23, 30-19, 30-28 — was the 49ers' ninth in their past 10 matches. UH, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara (a four-game loser to UC Irvine last night) are tied for third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Pepperdine or UCLA will win the regular season and earn a bye until the semifinals of the MPSF playoffs. Nos. 2-4 in the standings will host first-round matches.
Santa Barbara's loss salvaged a miserable night for the Warriors, who had difficulty passing and then attacking. As the match progressed, UH coach Mike Wilton said, "It was pick your poison."
Long Beach outside hitter Robert Tarr, launching angle shots from near the 3-meter line, hammered 19 kills and hit .517. Yassir Sliti, a one-time UH recruit, contributed 16 kills.
The Warriors could not counter, struggling to pass or dig. The 49ers had seven aces; the Warriors had one.
When it became apparent that the Warriors could not get into an offensive flow, Wilton moved Pedro Azenha to opposite, where he hits five of six times on the right side, and put two passers — José José Delgado and Lauri Hakala — on the left side. But then the Warriors had difficulty with their left-side attack.
"It was: Put a better ball-control lineup out there and sacrifice left-side hitting, or put your best hitters there and not pass the ball," Wilton said. "We didn't have many options."
Even with the improved passing, Azenha was inconsistent. His team-high 13 kills were offset by seven errors in 35 swings.
The offense "was a blinking light," Wilton said. "I'm pretty frustrated."
The Warriors, who entered needing to win three of their final four matches to finish in the top four, are out of mulligans.
"We're going back to the drawing board," Wilton said. "It's going to be a late night for the coaches."
Wilton indicated Beckwith, Reft, Azenha and middle blockers Dionisio Dante and Kyle Klinger will start in tonight's rematch. The final two positions, on the outside, will be debated.
"We have to figure it out between now and 7:30," Wilton said.
UH completes the regular season with two matches against Pacific next week.
Brian Beckwith, who did not start because of a sprained right knee, replaced Daniel Rasay at setter in Game 1. "It was easier to sub one guy than five," Wilton said.
Brian Beckwith
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