ingoodstanding
Junior
"The constitution is not a living organism," Hon. A. Scalia
Posts: 399
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Post by ingoodstanding on Jan 10, 2014 20:05:19 GMT -5
Love their ball handling. Tsai, imo, needs to be mindful of homer-ism. ; I hope that this 'beat' doesn't get too blatant in pro-UH subjectivity.
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Post by vballfreak808 on Jan 11, 2014 21:09:54 GMT -5
Rainbows make it 2 in a row
By Stephen TsaiPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:06 a.m. HST, Jan 11, 2014 BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii's Nick West hits between Penn State's Peter Russell (9) and Matt Callaway (17) in the first set of the Penn State Nittany Lions vs the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors volleyball match of the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational Tournament at the Stan Sheriff Center. Fifteen months after departing, Hawaii's Jace Olsen reintroduced himself to his former volleyball team with a career-best performance. Olsen slammed a career-high 14 kills to power the Rainbow Warriors to a 20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-21 victory over Penn State before 1,726 in the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday night. The Warriors, who improved to 2-0, will meet UCLA tonight for the title in this Outrigger Volleyball Invitational. The Bruins also are unbeaten in this three-night round robin. "It's like a family reunion," said Olsen, who transferred from Penn State at the end of his sophomore season in the summer of 2012. "I played with five of the six (PSU) starters. It's great they get to come out to my home now." UH coach Charlie Wade designated Olsen as the Warriors' floor captain for the match. "I knew he was going to play well," Wade said. Penn State defeated UH in last year's Outrigger. "For me to come out here and beat them on the home floor, it shows my loyalty to this crowd," Olsen said. "They back me up so much out here. It's incredible. It's a great feeling." Through training camp, Olsen was among six players competing for one of the two left-side positions. He claimed a berth with powerful hitting and active defense in exhibition matches against Canada's Thompson Rivers a week ago. On Friday night, Olsen found points with a sinking 27-foot crossing shot that managed to land a foot in front of the right sideline. His technique? "It's a secret," Olsen said, smiling. "If that gets out, it's not going to be my shot anymore." He then offered credit to setter Joby Ramos. MORE PHOTOS: Hawaii v. Penn State, Jan. 10 "Joby is putting the ball up in a nice spot," Olsen said. UH's pin attackers also benefit from accurate passing, which makes quick middle sets an option. With opposing middles forced to stay put, the pin hitters often are facing single blocks. "They're getting so much commit in the middle, it opens it up on the outside," Olsen said. "I'm a pretty big boy. It opens it up for the cross-court (shot)." UH's other left-side hitter, Siki Zarkovic, also took advantage of the single coverage. Zarkovic pounded a career-high 22 kills in 38 swings and hit .421. Olsen, who committed only three attack errors, hit .400. Wade also made several adjustments to create better matchups. In the first set, Penn State's best attacker, 6-foot-8 Aaron Russell, was hitting across from 6-foot Ramos. Wade moved the rotation to change the faceoff, then used one turn to place 6-4 setter Jennings Franciskovic in the front row in place of Ramos. In the fourth set, Wade moved the rotation three spots, with opposite Hendrik Mol facing Russell. Mol started that set in place of Brook Sedore. "We spun it three times," Wade said, "and got totally different matchups in the fourth set." Mol was able to tip several shots, and Zarkovic made some timely defensive plays. Zarkovic finished with six digs. "The changes really worked out," Wade said. UCLA sweeps Ohio State A night after going the distance against Penn State, UCLA needed only 75 minutes to put away Ohio State 25-14, 25-23, 25-21. Once again, 7-foot opposite Robert Page led the way, burying a match-high 12 kills. Page also collaborated on four of the Bruins' seven blocks and produced four digs. Andrew Lutz led the Buckeyes with nine kills, but hit only .208. NO. 14 HAWAII DEF. NO. 11 PENN STATE, 20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-21 NITTANY LIONS (0-2, 0-2 OUTRIGGER) S K E ATT PCT D BS BA PTS Hammond 4 0 0 1 .000 8 0 1 .5 Goodell 4 19 4 33 .455 4 0 1 20.5 A.Russell 4 16 7 33 .273 8 1 1 21.5 P.Russell 4 10 6 25 .160 2 0 0 10 Callaway 4 8 1 17 .412 1 1 2 10 Seifert 4 4 1 10 .300 1 0 1 4.5 Parik 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Curry 4 0 0 0 .000 11 0 0 0 Sauter 4 1 0 1 1.000 2 0 0 1 Totals 4 58 19 120 .325 37 2 6 68 WARRIORS (2-0, 2-0 OUTRIGGER) S K E ATT PCT D BS BA PTS Ramos 4 0 1 2 -.500 6 0 3 1.5 West 4 9 0 15 .600 2 0 4 12 Sedore 3 8 4 23 .174 3 0 1 10.5 Averill 4 5 3 10 .200 0 1 0 6 Zarkovic 4 22 6 38 .421 6 0 2 23 Olsen 4 15 3 30 .400 4 1 0 16 Kanetake 4 0 0 0 .000 7 0 0 0 Timmer 4 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Mol 1 3 2 5 .200 1 0 0 3 Franciskovic 2 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fey 3 0 0 0 .000 2 0 0 0 Totals 4 62 19 123 .350 32 2 10 72 Key — s: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct: hitting percentage; d: digs; bs: block solo; ba: block assists; pts: points (kills plus blocks plus aces). Service Aces — Penn State 5 (A. Russell 4, Goodell). Hawaii 3 (Sedore 2, West). Service errors — Penn State 10 (Goodell 4, A.Russell 3, Hammond, P.Russell, Parik). Hawaii 10 (Sedore 4, Ramos 3, Olsen 3). Assists — Penn State 55 (Hammond 52, A.Russell 2, Curry). Hawaii 56 (Ramos 48, Kanetake 3, Zarkovic 2, Franciskovic 2, Averill). T — 2:13. Officials — Dickson Chun, Ernie Ho. A — 1,726. More Photos Available
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 14, 2014 19:04:06 GMT -5
a couple days late ... but here's the last recap from this past weekend's tournament ...
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 14, 2014 19:07:22 GMT -5
UCLA pulls away from WarriorsBy Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 12, 2014 KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii’s Siki Zarkovic hit into the block of UCLA’s Robart Page.UCLA's volleyball offense is unpredictable. Its results are not. Once again, the Bruins conquered the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational, this time defeating Hawaii in four sets, 25-19, 14-25, 25-19, 25-16, on Saturday night. It was the Bruins' fourth tournament title in a row and ninth in their 14 appearances. They went unbeaten in the three-day round robin event. The Rainbow Warriors finished 2-1. The Bruins were outplayed in the second set and fell behind 15-12 in the third. After the media timeout, UH's Jace Olsen was called for a back-row-attack violation when he tipped the ball over the net. Olsen, the Warriors' floor captain, argued in his own defense. The ruling was upheld. "He was called for a back-row attack when he's virtually standing on the ground," Wade protested. Coupled with a previous call when a shot that struck the line judge was ruled a Bruins point, "we kind of lost our mojo," Wade said. "It totally switched the momentum. We have to take control. In the third set, we have to be more disciplined." Instead, the Bruins scored four in a row to take a 16-15 lead. With setter Steve O'Dell sizzling two aces and freshman Jackson Bantle launching left-handed spin serves, the Bruins scored 13 of the final 17 points of the third set. In the fourth, the Bruins turned upward -- to 7-footer Robart Page -- for offense. Page blasted seven kills (without an error) in nine swings in the fourth set. Four of his kills originated from behind the 3-meter line. "It's really easy to set him," O'Dell said of Page. "All I have to do is throw it up there and he pounds it." Standing flat-footed, Page can touch 9-feet-1. As the NCAA's only 7-footer, he probably should be typecast as a middle blocker or opposite attacker. But in UCLA's self-styled "hybrid" offense, Page is the left-side hitter. Bantle, who started as the opposite beginning in the third set, is 6-1. UCLA coach John Speraw said he decided to move Page from opposite to outside in the middle of the 2013 season. "I felt he attacked the ball really, really well on the left side of the court," Speraw said. "We decided to run this hybrid offense." In this scheme, Bantle handles most of the passing, freeing Page to swing away. Page finished with 16 kills, and was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Page also used his long forearms to produce eight digs. He passed eight serves without an error. "I've never accepted being 7 feet," Page said. "I see it as a 6-3 person in a 7-footer's body. That's how I look at it. I don't take 'no' for an answer." Indeed, Page was denied in the second set. Three times he was blocked. "We came out fighting in (sets) three and four," Page said. O'Dell credited assistant coach Andrea Becker, who leads meditation and visualization sessions before each match. "We do a lot of mental work," O'Dell said. "Win or lose, we want to enjoy the experience. We want to stay as a team." Wade said the round-robin format proved beneficial. The Warriors open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play this week in matches against Long Beach State. "It's still early," Wade said. "It's only the middle of January. We beat a few teams ranked ahead of us and really at times played decent. We're disappointed we didn't win the match. But we're not looking for the sharp objects." Penn State finishes thirdNick Goodell, Peter Russell and Aaron Russell each registered double-digit kills to boost Penn State to a 28-26, 25-20, 25-19 sweep of Ohio State. The Nittany Lions (1-2) finished third in the Outrigger Invitational. The Buckeyes were winless in their three matches. More Photos by: KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 15, 2014 16:02:23 GMT -5
Tests just keep getting tougherBy Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 03:03 a.m. HST, Jan 15, 2014 BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii's Nick West hits between Penn State's Peter Russell (9) and Matt Callaway (17) in the first set of the Penn State Nittany Lions vs the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors volleyball match of the Outrigger Volleyball Invitational Tournament at the Stan Sheriff Center.The Hawaii volleyball team and then its fan base will be tested in this week's matches against fourth-ranked Long Beach State. In uncharacteristic programming, only Thursday's match will be televised. OC Sports, which owns the local television rights to UH sports, will not televise Friday's rematch between the Mountain Sports Federation teams. In past years, nearly all the Rainbow Warriors' home matches were televised. Dan Schmidt, OC Sports' general manager and executive producer, said there are "limited resources" for producing UH sporting events. "We chose not to do it on a Friday night when people can show up on their own," Schmidt said. In last week's Outrigger Volleyball Invitational, UH drew 1,295 fans on Thursday, 1,726 on Friday, and 2,573 on Saturday. The Warriors' focus will be on the court, where they will face an opponent that was ranked No. 1 a week ago. The 49ers are 1-1 in the MPSF, defeating California Baptist but losing to Brigham Young. This will be the MPSF opener for the Warriors, who went 2-1 in the Outrigger. The Warriors appeared to have settled on six of the seven starting positions: Jace Olsen and Siki Zarkovic on the left side, Taylor Averill and Nick West in the middle, Joby Ramos at setter, and Kolby Kanetake at libero. At issue is opposite attacker. Brook Sedore has the strongest swing among the pin hitters — an asset on serves and back-row attacks — but struggled with his hitting accuracy and defense in the Outrigger. Sedore was pulled after the third set against Penn State and after the first against UCLA. "Efficiency and consistency," associate head coach Jeff Hall said of Sedore. "Those are the things he needs to work on the most." Ramos and Sedore are seeking to rekindle the connection they shared in the second half of the 2013 season. "I think it's a timing issue with the tempo of the set and the location of it a little bit," Hall said. "They need to keep working through it. One of the most important relationships is for the opposite and setter to be on the same page most of the time." Freshman Hendrick Mol of Norway replaced Sedore in both matches, and provided steady passing and an active block. Mol's highlight video initially caught the UH coaches' attention. UH coach Charlie Wade then went to Europe to scout Mol. "It was a case where we could get a foreigner who was better than anyone we could get domestically at that age," Hall said. While Sedore provides a spike with oomph, Mol is well-rounded, honing his volleyball skills in beach matches. A Sedore-Mol tandem would be a consideration. "It's not depth if you don't use depth," Hall said. UH also would like to find more playing time for middle Davis Holt and left-side hitter Kupono Fey.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 16, 2014 14:46:16 GMT -5
First up? Just the league favoritesBy Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 16, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 01:57 a.m. HST, Jan 16, 2014 Taylor CrabbForget saving the best for last. Hawaii's getting one of the best out of the way early, opening Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play against one of the nation's top men's volleyball teams. Long Beach State was ranked No. 1 in the AVCA preseason poll. The 49ers, who fell to 2-1 after a road loss to Brigham Young, are now No. 4 entering matches tonight and Friday night in the Stan Sheriff Center. "They have a very senior-laden team," UH coach Charlie Wade said. "They're not only one of the preseason favorites to win the league, but the national championship as well." Punahou graduate Taylor Crabb leads the 49ers with 5.09 kills per set. Crabb was the 2013 national player of the year. At about 6 feet, Crabb has a powerful swing and a gravity-defying vertical jump of 40 inches. UH associate coach Jeff Hall said Crabb is skilled in making decisions on the fly, so to speak. "He gets up there, then decides where to attack," Hall said. "He's one of the best at doing that." Crabb said: "I don't really think about it too much. If I see something open, I'll exploit it." Chris Crabb said his son began playing the sport when he was 2. "Since I can remember, my dad was tossing me the volleyball," Taylor Crabb said. "Volleyball has been in my family. All my relatives played. I've been around it all my life." His jumping and passing skills were developed on Waikiki Beach. His family belongs to the Outrigger Canoe Club, the self-styled creator of beach volleyball. "I'm very excited to be out here playing against Hawaii," Crabb said. "They're a great team.They have a great culture out here for volleyball and all college sports. It's very exciting to play in the Stan Sheriff." LBSU coach Alan Knipe did not indicate whether Dalton Ammerman, who averages 3.88 kills per game, will be available. Ammerman missed the BYU match because of an ankle injury. He was limited during Wednesday's practice. "We're hoping, (but) we don't know yet," Knipe said. UH opposite Brook Sedore, who hit .229 in three Outrigger Invitational matches last week, is expected to start tonight. "I think Brook will be fine," Wade said. Sedore had 11 kills and hit .350 against Ohio State. The next night, he was pulled after hitting .174 in the first three sets against Penn State. He lasted only one set after hitting .000 against UCLA in the Outrigger final. Wade and Sedore met after the UCLA match. "He said he wasn't worried," Sedore recalled. "Neither was I." Hendrik Mol replaced Sedore at opposite in the Penn State and UCLA matches. "We have such depth in our positions," Sedore said. "If I was a coach, I probably would have taken myself out, too. We have two, three other guys on the bench who can come in and contribute. So, if it's not me (doing the job), it's another guy on the team." Wade said the Warriors need to do well early in the season. "We have to find a way to get wins, especially at home," Wade said. "They're hard to win on the road." UH VOLLEYBALL At Stan Sheriff Center >> Who: No. 10 Hawaii (2-1, 0-0 MPSF) vs. No. 4 Long Beach State (2-1, 1-1) >> When: 7 p.m. today and Friday >> TV: OC Sports (Ch. 16), tonight’s match only >> Radio: KKEA (1420-AM)
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 17, 2014 20:37:43 GMT -5
Long Beach sweeps HawaiiBy Stephen Tsai, The Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 17, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:12 a.m. HST, Jan 17, 2014 KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM UH's Taylor Averill put a kill past Long Beach State's Jeff Ornee on Thursday night. Long Beach State seized control early then cruised to a 25-17, 25-20, 25-22 volleyball victory over Hawaii on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. A crowd of 1,492 witnessed the 10th-ranked Rainbow Warriors' match, which probably should have come with a warning for unacceptable viewing for Warrior fans. The 49ers scored nine points in a row to take a 9-1 lead in the first set. They jumped to leads of 5-1 and 12-4 in the second set. In the third set, the 49ers led 15-10 at the intermission before the Warriors rallied to tie it at 15. It was 24-22 when UH opposite Brook Sedore served long on aloha ball. "Hopefully, this is the last day we ever play like this," UH outside hitter Siki Zarkovic said after the match. "Tomorrow is another day. We're going to play better." The Warriors opened the match with a double block, then stumbled over obstacles the rest of the way. LBSU setter Connor Olbright relied on an off-speed delivery to serve eight points in a row. For the match, 12 of Olbright's 20 serves resulted in 49er points. "Our team has really been working on blocking this week," Olbright said. "I was putting them in a position where our team could block balls." The 49ers amassed 61/2 of their 121/2 blocks in the first set. "I thought we did a good job of keeping pressure on, and not making errors early," 49ers coach Alan Knipe said. "I thought our serve-receive was really good. That kept us really comfortable. Runs are an important part of the game. You want them to go in your favor. I thought our guys did a pretty good job as far as keeping their serves on the guys we wanted to, and obviously keeping a lot of pressure by not missing a whole lot." And with the cushions, Olbright was able to spread the offense. Taylor Crabb, a Punahou graduate and the nation's best volleyball player last year, slammed 12 kills, including five launched from behind the 3-meter line. Crabb is generously listed at 6 feet. But with a 40-inch vertical jump, he is able to survey the defense before unleashing line drives. "He's a really good player," UH coach Charlie Wade said. Opposite Ian Satterfield powered eight kills without an error. Andrew Whitt contributed six kills. Middle blockers Jeff Ornee and Taylor Gregory each had six kills. "When you get that separation early, the setter gets free run to do whatever," Wade said. "They obviously became a lot harder to defend because everybody is available." Wade, meanwhile, scrambled for answers. Zarkovic, usually one of the Warriors' most consistent players, exited early in the first set after three of his swings resulted in no kills and two errors. "It was my off day," Zarkovic said. "I think my game was not what I expected." Wade said: "It's never really happened where Siki starts off playing poorly. It kind of rattled everybody. We didn't know quite how to handle it." Kupono Fey replaced Zarkovic, finishing with seven kills. Sedore, who struggled in the two previous matches, led UH with 16 kills. Jennings Franciscovic started the second set at setter. Outside hitter Hendrik Mol was brought in to steady the defense. Davis Holt started in place of middle blocker Nick West, whose left hand was in a soft cast because of a fracture. UH also tried different tactics. When setter Joby Ramos was in the front row, middle blocker Taylor Averill hit from the right pin. "We're still trying to work on things," Wade said. "It's early in the year. We want to add some stuff to the offense, and try to get more people involved." More photos by: KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 17, 2014 20:56:36 GMT -5
man, that match was ugly ...
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 18, 2014 12:57:57 GMT -5
dang, what a turnaround for hawaii... !!
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 18, 2014 13:04:42 GMT -5
Warriors get evenUH bounces back from Thursday’s loss to Long Beach State with a five-set victory over the 49ers
By Brian McInnis, The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 18, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 06:49 a.m. HST, Jan 18, 2014 KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii players Brook Sedore, Taylor Averill and Kupono Fey celebrated in the fifth set on Friday night.The Hawaii volleyball team defied the odds, history and fourthranked Long Beach State for a pulsating 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 27-25, 15-8 victory on Friday night. "We needed it," UH middle blocker Taylor Averill said. The 49ers had swept the three previous meetings, including Thursday night's trouncing in the Stan Sheriff Center. "They made us look foolish," UH opposite Brook Sedore said of the Rainbow Warriors' Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener. "We had to make it a point not to get humiliated in front of our fans again. We said, 'This is our home court. People just don't come into our house and do that to us.' We had to make a statement." It appeared the 49ers were ready for a hana hou when they dominated the second and third sets. But the Warriors rallied in the fourth. It was tied at 25 when LBSU middle Taylor Gregory served long. Then opposite Ian Satterfield smacked a D-set long to force extra play. The 49ers took a 6-5 lead in the fifth set. But then the Warriors scored three points in a row to take an 8-6 lead they would not relinquish. After LBSU closed to 8-7 on Dalton Ammerman's kills, Averill smashed a kill to make it 9-7. Then UH middle Davis Holt made a solo rejection of an Ammerman spike. After a timeout, Gregory's back set sailed out of bounds. Satterfield then misfired again on a swing from the back right, extending the Warriors' lead to 12-7 and forcing the 49ers to burn their second -- and final -- timeout. Gregory's kill cut the deficit to 12-8. But the Warriors scored the final three points of the match. Holt was initially blocked, but he was set again, and crushed it for 13-8 lead. Outside hitter Siki Zarkovic, who struggled in Thursday's match, then hit over a double block to make it 14-8. Zarkovic and Holt then teamed to block Ammerman at aloha ball, trigging a wild celebration on the court. Asked about the final block, Davis said, "I blacked out. I don't remember it all." It was a memorable night for the Warriors, who struggled in recent years to solve the riddle of the 49ers and their outside hitter, Taylor Crabb. Crabb, who plays with a stone face, has been a stone-cold killer. In Friday's match, he accumulated 12 kills before making his first attack error, on his 22nd swing. he finished with 22 kills and 10 digs. Ammerman, the 49ers' secondbest hitter, missed the past two games because of an ankle injury. But he was used as a serving specialist in the first two sets before joining the rotation full-time. He finished with 11 kills. Still, the Warriors were able to counter with their own offensive punch. Sedore, who struggled in last week's Outrigger Invitational, slammed 24 kills on an arm-numbing 48 swings. "I'll be OK," Sedore said. "I'll put some ice (on my arm), and I'll be ready for our next practice." Holt did well in place of middle blocker Nick West, who will miss three weeks with a broken finger on his left (non-hitting) hand. Freshman Kupono Fey contributed six kills and hit .364 in relief of co-captain Jace Olsen. "We didn't think (Thursday) night's performance was in any way indicative of who we are," UH coach Charlie Wade said. "That was a bit of shock to our system to the guys. After that (match), the captains kind of called a playersonly meeting. We gladly stepped aside and let them find solutions. They came here (for the serveand-pass session) with every intention to play to the highest ability. All of the guys had nice performances. It was a nice win. I'm really proud of them." More photos by: KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
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Post by kaBOOOOM on Jan 18, 2014 18:08:01 GMT -5
Excellent team win for the Warriors!! Go 'Bows!!
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 24, 2014 19:17:47 GMT -5
Depth expands Warriors' strategyBy Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 24, 2014 KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM Long Beach State’s Andrew Whitt hit over the top of a block attempt by UH’s Brook Sedore, Davis Holt and Jace Olsen. This season, the Warriors have played only one five-set match, an upset of Long Beach State a night after being swept.Last year, the Hawaii volleyball team proved it could go the distance. This year's resolution is to finish off matches. "I think we're better," coach Charlie Wade said of his Rainbow Warriors, who play UC San Diego tonight and Sunday afternoon in the Stan Sheriff Center. In 2013, the Warriors played 15 five-set matches, a program record since rally scoring was implemented in 2001. But the Warriors won only six of those matches, and were 9-16 in the fifth set the past three seasons. This season, the Warriors have played only one five-set match, an upset of Long Beach State a night after being swept. "At the end of that match -- the fourth and fifth sets -- was the first time since last year you could tell we had to play at a really high level for a very long time to be really good," Wade said. "That was good for everybody. It was, 'Oh, yeah, this is what it feels like.' It was good." The Warriors have more depth this season, which enabled Wade to expand his strategy. Against Long Beach State, Johann Timmer was in the opening lineup, enabling him to have two turns serving in place of middle Davis Holt. Later, libero Kolby Kanetake subbed for opposite Brook Sedore. Kanetake made a key dig out of the left back, and middle Taylor Averill, who remained in the rotation, hit a D set from the back right. "If we can get a point here and a point there, it might help in the end," Wade said. Wade has been able to find roles for the 14 players on the active roster. Freshman Kupono Fey has spelled left-side hitters Siki Zarkovic and Jace Olsen. Hendrik Mol can play both pin sides. Jennings Franciscovic, a backup to setter Joby Ramos, has played in 13 of 19 sets. "At some point, Jennings needs to go in," Wade said. "If Joby gets hurt or sick or something, you've got to get him out there. You can't wait to put him out there when he's had no seasoning. When we get the opportunity to roll him out there, we certainly will." Nick West, the second middle, will miss at least another two weeks because of a fractured left finger. Holt is the primary replacement, although Fre Etim-Thomas, who is a little taller than 6-foot-3, is an intriguing option. "Fre is the energizer," Wade said. "He has great energy and he's fun to watch. He really makes you feel good about sports watching the guy play." UCSan Diego is seeking a boost after opening the season with five consecutive losses. The Tritons are hitting .161. "We need to take better care of the ball," UCSD coach Kevin Ring said. "Sometimes that's making better decisions if things are out of sync -- either the sets are tough to hit or we're out of system -- while, at the same time, staying aggressive. Can we put that first ball away when the opponent serves to us?" Ring said too often the Tritons' best swings don't result in sideouts. "It's not that we're doing anything that poorly, but we're just not terminating (plays) as often as we need to," Ring said. The Tritons start four seniors. Johl Awerkamp, a 6-7 opposite, is the go-to hitter. He averages 2.71 kills per set, but is hitting only .154. Rainbow Warriors volleyball >> UH vs. UC San Diego, 7 p.m. today at the Stan Sheriff Center >> TV: OC Sports, Ch. 16 >> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 26, 2014 18:01:37 GMT -5
UH turns UC San Diego inside outBy Stephen Tsai, The Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 25, 2014 KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii’s Jace Olsen hit over a block attempt by UC San Diego’s Ian Colbert, Fred Stahl and Nick Iorfino during the second set Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors won in three sets.The Hawaii volleyball team went with an inside-out strategy to turn away UC San Diego in three sets on Friday night. A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 1,553 saw the Rainbow Warriors control the middle first, then feast from the pins and back row to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with the 25-15, 25-13, 25-21 win. The Warriors' usual rotation calls for setter Joby Ramos to open either in the front right or back right. This time they turned the rotation, opening with Ramos in the back left and middle blocker Taylor Averill in the front left. That enabled Averill to get three front-row turns to open the match. Averill responded with three blocks and a thunderous kill as the Warriors sped to a 9-5 lead in the first set. "It was nice to get Taylor off at the start," UH coach Charlie Wade said. "We spun it. We started him at left front. We got him in that first play of the (match). He's a tough matchup." Averill is a rare six-rotation player who has experience as a middle, setter and opposite. "Even when (defenders) are committing on him, he still has such range," Wade said. "He can go either way hard. And he blocks very well. At one point, he had more blocks than kills." Averill finished with eight kills and seven of UH's 10 blocks. "We want to get Taylor the ball," Wade said. "Joby went to him early, and it was thump, thump, thump. You see what happens. Now they have to commit. We'll even keep setting him when they're committing. He absolutely can score. It just opens it up so much for the pins. The bics (back-row quick attacks) become more effective." Opposite Brook Sedore pounded eight kills and hit .375. Left-side hitter Siki Zarkovic had nine kills, three launched from behind the 3-meter line. Zarkovic also blasted three aces, and put up a set that Sedore hammered. "I give credit to my hitter," Zarkovic said. "He got the kill for me." The Tritons were without their best attacker, opposite Johl Awerkamp, who suffered a fractured right thumb during Monday's practice. The team doctor decided that the injury could not be protected with a brace. Awerkamp, who was fitted for a hard cast, did not make the trip. He will miss at least six weeks of matches. "You lose a key player, and sometimes it's more than just that player," said UC San Diego coach Kevin Ring, who shuffled his rotation, moving left-side hitter Nick Iorfino to the opposite spot. But the Tritons were undone by fickle passing and inconsistent hitting. The Warriors sided out on 14 of 16 UCSD serves in the first set and 11 of 13 in the second. UH's goal is to average about eight errors per set. On Friday, the Warriors had 25 errors -- 11 on attacks, 10 on serves, two on Tritons aces, two on net violations. "If you keep the total errors around eight per set, you've shown you're one of the best, if not the best," Wade said. "That's something we have to get better at." For one night, at least, the Warriors played with energy -- and depth. They used 13 of the 14 active players. Iain McKellar had consecutive kills. Scott Hartley served three points. Johann Timmer was the server when the Warriors opened the second set with three blocks in a row. "We did a good job of coming out with energy at the start of the sets and riding it to the end," Sedore said.
More photos by: KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Jan 30, 2014 14:13:11 GMT -5
For Rainbow Warriors, time to play Gauchos and grind malasadas
By Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 30, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:49 a.m. HST, Jan 30, 2014
The Hawaii volleyball team's first rule in traveling is this: Eat a malasada.
Rainbow Warriors from such diverse origins as Manchester, Serbia, Alberta and Auckland each grabbed one before boarding the bus that would take them to the airport for their first road trip of the season.
"They know how to travel," said coach Charlie Wade, whose Warriors play UC Santa Barbara tonight and Friday in Rob Gym.
Last year, 12 of the 21 Warriors were newcomers, including five who made the first road trip of the season. A year later, setter Joby Ramos, libero Kolby Kanetake and outside hitters Siki Zarkovic and Jace Olsen are starters.
This season, five of 20 players are first-year Warriors. Three freshman backups -- outside hitters Kupono Fey and Hendrik Mol and setter Jennings Franciskovich -- are traveling to Santa Barbara.
"We just have more guys who have logged more hours on the court, at the airport, all of it," Wade said. "We should be more familiar with what we have to do to travel."
Last year, Kanetake played in 32 of UH's 120 sets. This season, Kanetake is averaging 2.40 digs per set, and has committed three receiving errors in 120 attempts.
"Having that year of experience under my belt has helped a lot," Kanetake said. "I'm a lot more confident. It feels natural now."
Ramos, who transferred from Pacific in August 2012, also has matured as a setter. With improved passing from Kanetake and the outside hitters, Ramos is able to feed the middles, a tactic that has opened the lanes for the pin hitters. Zarkovic and opposite Brook Sedore have faced fewer triple blocks this season.
Olsen, who transferred from Penn State at the same time as Ramos, has emerged as a dependable hitter, passer and blocker. Olsen is one of four co-captains; most matches, he is designated as the floor captain.
"That comes with getting older," Olsen said. "You get more responsibilities from the coaches. Being in the (UH) program for two years and being in Division I programs for four years, you get a lot of knowledge and wisdom. I like to share it with the younger guys."
The Gauchos have won the past five meetings between the teams, including the final two matches in the Stan Sheriff Center last season. The Warriors then won two road matches against UC San Diego to earn the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's final playoff berth.
Two years ago in Rob Gym, Sedore recalled, "We were playing for last place in the league. We're not trying to recreate some memories in that gym."
Even without middle Nick West, who will miss another week because of a fractured finger, the Warriors appear to be improved from a year ago. They are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the MPSF. Olsen said the team is having more fun.
"We get along so well," Olsen said. "It's pretty easy to mesh when you're playing alongside your best friends."
Sedore said: "We know we play well when we're having fun. If we can create that atmosphere on the court, we give ourselves the best chance to win."
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Post by spikerwest10 on Jan 30, 2014 17:46:21 GMT -5
I love this team. A lot of great pieces in place to make a great run at the MPSF and to also make a run at the 6 spots the NCAA is now allowing! Go Bows!
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