Posted at 6:51 p.m., Saturday, March 25, 2006
UH men sweep Pacific in volleyball
Advertiser Staff
Jose Jose Delgado and Dio Dante each pounded 10 kills to power the University of Hawai'i volleyball team to a 30-27, 30-19, 30-23 victory over Pacific Saturday in the Spanos Center in Stockton, Calif.It was the Warriors' 12th consecutive victory, a surge that began before Valentine's Day.
In winning for the 13th time in the past 14 matches, the Warriors improved to 16-4 overall and 12-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The Tigers are 7-14 and 5-10.
The Warriors entered bruised and short-handed at middle blocker. Backup Kyle Klinger did not make the trip because of a broken big toe on his right foot. Jake Schkud, also a reserve, remained at the team hotel because of an illness. Dante was playing with a ligament injury in the pinkie of his right hand.
"He's a big ol' guy," UH coach Mike Wilton said of Dante. "He's got a little nick in his hoof, but he can still block. He's a warrior."
Dante contributed to seven of the Warriors' 11.5 blocks.
The Warriors had early difficulty passing the Tigers' serves, falling behind 15-11 and 16-12.
"I thought we would run the rubber right off of Brian's shoes," Wilton said, referring to setter Brian Beckwith's scrambling sets.
But Dante served four consecutive points, giving the Warriors a 17-16 lead, and then the UH passers began to pass accurately. Once in system, the Warriors dominated. They did not trail in the final two games.
