Reserves help UH knock off Ball State

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team answered a bench summons with a 23-30, 30-27, 30-21, 30-25 victory over Ball State (Muncie, Ind.) last night in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawai'i's Matt Bender digs a ball against Ball State in the first game. Bender came off the bench and finished with 12 kills and four blocks. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

When the going got tough, two reserve outside hitters — Matt Bender and Jose Jose Delgado — got going.

Bender, who is second on the team in kills, was listed on the Warriors' original starting lineup. But just before the pre-match introductions, UH coach Mike Wilton decided to go with second-year freshman Jake Schkud, a converted middle blocker who has never started a collegiate match.

Schkud, Delgado, Matt Carere and Lauri Hakala were competing to start at the other left-side position. But Carere, who had 11 kills in his first NCAA start Friday night, secured a starting job last night. That led to Wilton's decision to not open with Bender.

"You know what?" Wilton said. "I just thought I wanted to play Schkud. I had faith everything would be fine. It didn't work out, so it's easy to blame me. He deserved (a shot) because he can play. He's a really good player."

But Schkud struggled with his passing and hitting (one kill and two errors in seven swings), and was replaced by Bender in Game 1. Bender finished with 12 kills and four blocks.

"Hindsight is always 20-20," Wilton said. "It's easy to say, 'You should have never taken Bender out (of the lineup) because he's so important to what we do.' I had faith (the experiement) was going to fly. I thought, maybe this will make the rest of them play a little bit harder."

Bender didn't mind ceding his spot. "Jake needed some playing time," Bender said. "He needed to get out there and gain some experience. I know my first time on the court was a little shaky and a little scary. It's always good to get the first one out of the way."

Carere, meanwhile, could not produce a sequel to his storybook debut. He departed in Game 2 after hitting minus-.182 (two kills and four errors in 11 swings) and UH trailing 15-11.

Delgado, a fourth-year junior who started 11 of the first 15 matches, provided instant stability. He passed 18 times without a receiving error and contributed 10 kills (against one error) in 17 swings.

"I think Hawai'i, without Delgado on the court, struggled passing tonight," Ball State coach Joel Walton said. "We were able to take advantage of that. Unfortunately, Jose came in and their passing really steadied out and their offense got back into a better rhythm."

Without Delgado, the Warriors were outscored, 45-34. With him, they had a 79-58 advantage.

"Jose is a great passer," Bender said. "I've never see that guy pass consistently bad in a game ever. I know he's going to come in and pass well and get kills."

Delgado said he embraces his low-profile role. "My main focus is not hitting," he said. "We've got Bender and Pedro (Azenha) to hit. That's fine. I'm really focused on my passing. That's one of the most important skills of the game."

Delgado has developed an easy working relationship with 6-foot-6 Brian Beckwith, the tallest setter in UH volleyball history.

"It's easy because he's so tall," Delgado said. "With Beckwith, you pop it high and he can do miracles."

Delgado also appeared to be a more confident hitter last night. In previous matches, he often would over-swing, with little regard to the sort of block he faced. Last night, he rolled two shots over the out-stretched block, and grooved three kills into the seams of the Cardinals' defense.

His past problems were related to wanting "to get too much in one swing."

After the Warriors dominated Friday's match, Wilton had hoped his players would not regard last night's lineup change as a signal of overconfidence. But, he said, "I suspect that's probably what they did."

The Warriors scored only five points on the 23 plays started by their serves in Game 1. "We were clearly losing the serve-and-pass battle," Wilton said.

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