Hawai'i sweeps Irvine, moves to 4-0 in MPSF

Advertiser Staff

Who says there are no good videos anymore?

A private screening of Friday's three-game victory over UC Irvine helped Hawai'i sweep last night's volleyball rematch in Orange County.

The scores were 30-27, 30-22, 30-25.

The Crawford Hall crowd of 695 — about 400 were cheering for the visitors — watched the Warriors improve to 4-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and 6-1 overall. The Warriors, ranked No. 4, have the only unbeaten MPSF record.

The Anteaters fell to 1-4 and 3-7.

The outcome could be traced to technique and technology. MPSF teams are required to exchange videotapes. After Friday's match, the Warriors complained that the pre-match videotape they received did not show the Anteaters at their best.

After returning to the team hotel Friday night, UH video coordinator Radford Nakamura downloaded footage from that night's match, digitally separated the material into different categories, then produced a videotape. UH head coach Mike Wilton and assistant coach Aaron Wilton stayed up until 2:15 a.m. studying the videotape. Yesterday morning, the Warriors watched the videotape in a hotel conference room.

"We were really prepared," said Kyle Klinger, who started his second consecutive match in place of injured middle blocker Dionisio Dante.

The Warriors' plan was to key on Irvine outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky and opposite hitter Jon Steller. They were willing to leave the middle open to construct the double block on those attackers.

The Warriors amassed 12.5 blocks, and Steller was benched after Game 1. The UH blockers tried to "go straight up and over without drifting and leaving the seams open," said UH setter Brian Beckwith, who had six blocks.

Mike Wilton praised Beckwith's blocking and accurate setting. Although the Anteaters' serves induced errant passes, Beckwith "made some chicken salad out of chicken feathers," Wilton said. "His location was almost perfect every time."

That allowed opposite hitter Pedro Azenha (18 kills, .500 hitting percentage) and outside hitter Matt Bender (13 kills) to swing away.

"Bender got his arm back," said Wilton, a reference to Bender's sore deltoid muscle in his right shoulder. "He had been guiding the ball. Tonight, he did a good job of hitting it."

Bender said: "I warmed up a little better, and that helped me feel better. I think I'm getting older and not as careful. I tried to keep (the swinging shoulder) warm. It paid off."

UH outside hitter Jose Jose Delgado, who was pulled from the first game of Friday's match because of inaccurate passing, had seven kills and seven digs.

"He passed well and he served well," Wilton said. "He got his confidence back."

The Warriors return to Honolulu today. They host Stanford Thursday and Friday.