Posted on: Saturday, January 15, 2005

Warriors volleyball sweeps alumni

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The outcome of the men's volleyball match was on ice — Hawai'i would prevail, 32-30, 30-24, 30-27 — and then the ice was on the losing alumni team.

UH setter Brian Beckwith said: "They're definitely on the oxygen tank and in the ice pool, all sitting around saying, 'Remember that one play ...' "

"I have the whole year to rest," alumni middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic said.

"I'm ready for the beer treatment," alumni outside hitter Torry Tukuafu added.

The annual match in the Stan Sheriff Center was supposed to be an opportunity for the past to haunt the Warriors. The alumni featured five members of the UH team that defeated Pepperdine in the final match of the 2002 NCAA Championships, including Costas Theocharidis, the school's career kill champion. A sixth member, Tony Ching, attended but declined to play. He was jet-legged and wearing slippers and an alcohol wristband.

But youth was serving ... and hitting ... and blocking ...

UH outside hitter Matt Bender hammered 10 kills, and the Warriors had seven blocks.

"We were planning to beat them," alumni outside hitter Eyal Zimet said, "but they were too good."

Then again, the point of the match wasn't the points.

"We wanted to make sure they were carrying on the tradition," alumni outside hitter Jason Olive said. "You have to make sure the guys in the white jerseys didn't steal them out of the locker room, and that they're actually Warriors. We had to test them. We're a rite of passage. They passed the test."

The event also became a reunion. For many, the exhibition was their only match of the year.

Theocharidis, now a wealth planner in Manoa, celebrated his match-high 16 kills and two aces by jumping, raising his arms or flashing what appeared to be a three-fingered shaka sign.

"I hadn't played in a while," said Theocharidis, who was effective with roll shots over the block-thirsty middles. "I had so much inside of me. I had to let it all out. It was the excitement sometimes, and it was the anger of not playing very well. It boils down to this: it's a game, and sometimes you're going to feel emotion, and sometimes you're going to have to put on your poker face. It's a variety of feelings you're going to have out there. You can't hold back."

Olive, who plays once a year, sneaked away from the set of the HBO series, "The Comeback," in which he co-stars as Jesse. The show centers on former "Friends" actress Lisa Kudrow's character. "I'm having a great time," he said.

Tukuafu also is in the industry. His work as The Rock's body double in the movie, "The Rundown," gave him contacts that led to his job as assistant camera operator for the Hawai'i-based television show, "Lost."

"It's great," he said. "I love film-making, and the creative work that's involved in it."

Asked about the breakout show's secrets, he mused: "They're all aliens. Nah. That's totally not true. To be honest, I have no idea. I'm so busy at work I don't have time to find out what's going on in future episodes."

Noting the television success of his teammates, Miladinovic said, "It turned out to be a Hollywood night or something."

Miladinovic, a financial planner who recently earned his MBA, said he has no plans to enter show business.

"Unless they need some mean-looking Serbian guy," he said.

But Miladinovic stuck around to pose for a team picture. After inviting each former player to the post-match potluck, UH coach Mike Wilton said: "I'd like to train that team for two weeks and see what they would be like. They had so many guys out there, it had to be difficult for continuity sake. But there was a lot of talent there. And a lot of memories."

The Warriors host Cal State Northridge on Wednesday in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season opener.

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