Costas 2000 Career Kills

[ichiscratchy]

the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Mar/07/sp/sp06a.html

[EP]

Congrats to Costas.......Did anyone else think that the Loyola-Chicago coach looked like Tobey Maguire?

[V]

EP said:

Congrats to Costas.......Did anyone else think that the Loyola-Chicago coach looked like Tobey Maguire?

He sort of does now that I think about it. At first he reminded me of the guy from the movie My Dog Skip.

Congrats to Costas.
Anyone noticed him standing right by the LC team making the reporters take pictures and there's cameras filming him laughing, asking the cameramen what do they want? Meanwhile, the LC is in the backgorund giving him the "stink eye". Heh. I love when Costas is being cocky.

UH volleyball sweeps

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i senior Costas Theocharidis made history last night, amassing the 2,000th kill of his NCAA volleyball career, and then the Warriors made quick history of Loyola-Chicago in a 30-22, 30-21, 30-24 victory in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The second-ranked Warriors (13-5) did not lose a game during this two-match series, constructing a winning margin of 6.8 points per game. But the night belonged to Theocharidis, a 6-foot-3 opposite hitter from Greece.

"He's like the Michael Jordan of your volleyball dreams," UH serving specialist Matt Bender said. "He's the most amazing player I've ever seen. Just to be able to play with someone like that, that's something I can tell my grandkids. I'll always remember this night, and I'll always remember playing with Costas."

Theocharidis entered needing 10 kills to become the first UH player to amass 2,000 career kills. He achieved the milestone in the second game, with his 17th swing, a rocket that ricocheted off a double block and out of bounds.

As the crowd of 3,838 rose for an ovation, Theocharidis reciprocated by pointing his right index finger.

"It's an incredible feeling," he said. "What can I tell you? I wish other people were in my shoes."

Theocharidis is believed to be the 11th male volleyball player to join the NCAA's 2,000-kill club, although the membership total is difficult to verify. The American Volleyball Coaches Association kept a record book through 1998, but stopped updating it when it was determined that there were incomplete entries. An AVCA spokesman said not all of the NCAA Division I-II teams submitted results to the AVCA.

Theocharidis finished with a match-high 17 kills, in 31 swings, before leaving to another rousing ovation late in Game 3. After the match, he was presented with his milestone-making ball. UH officials said the ball will be inscribed later.

"I'll tell you, one more championship ring is more important to me than any of these individual awards," Theocharidis said. "I'm just a college student. I couldn't have done any of this without my teammates."

He also thanked setter Kimo Tuyay, who deflected the praise.

"He doesn't owe me anything," Tuyay said. "Whenever I set the ball, he finds a way to get a kill. He's found 2,000 ways to get a kill. He's a great player to have on your team. Right now, he has to be the best player in the nation."

Early in the match, Tuyay turned to Eyal Zimet, who accounted for three of the Warriors' first five points. The strategy spread the Ramblers' defense, opening the way for outside hitter Tony Ching (14 kills, .524 hitting percentage), middle blocker Delano Thomas (nine kills, no errors) and then Theocharidis.

"Like a machine, every part does its little job," Zimet said. "Costas, right now, is responsible for hitting. We count on him to bring the heat."

Tuyay added: "He's your go-to guy no matter what. Even if there are three guys up (for the block), he'll find a way."

Theocharidis was admittedly over-enthusiastic, and one of his serves struck UH strength coach Mel deLaura, who was sitting in the third row of the end-zone risers.

"That was a great serve," Ching marveled. "That thing had some power behind it."

After Theocharidis slammed his ninth kill, teammates raised their right index fingers, indicating the milestone was a kill away.

"Sometimes I knew the count, sometimes I didn't," Theocharidis. "On the last one, I knew."

UH coach Mike Wilton said the 2,007 kills are significant because Theocharidis has played three seasons under the rally-scoring system implemented in 2001. Wilton said it is more difficult to amass kills now than in the old side-out system.

"He's a mighty good player," Wilton said. "I don't like to rank them, but I will say he's been a very special player for us. No question about that."

Wilton said he learned of Theocharidis through former Punahou School standout Mike Lambert, who was playing professionally in Europe. Lambert sent Wilton a grainy film in which it was difficult to initially identify Theocharidis.

"After a while," Wilton has said, "we knew."

UH was the only NCAA school to recruit Theocharidis.

"Coming here was the best decision of my life," said Theocharidis, who will earn a degree in finance in December. "I've had four memorable years."

The Warriors will take two days off and begin practicing Monday. They leave Wednesday for a two-match series against UCLA Friday and next Saturday in Los Angeles.



(box score)
the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2003/Mar/08/sports1.gif

[V]

Just wanted to add a comment on Bender, I like him. Now I want to see how good Motter is.

Oh, Isn't the reason why Motter came to Hawaii was because of Tuyay?

[sweetieVBfan]

i actually really like bender. he just seems SOOOO happy to be playing, like he doesn't really believe it's happening. i get so upset because UH rarely converts when bender serves, and he always comes right out afterwards. and he got his first kill! i said earlier that i anticipate azenha, motter and delgado being the OHs of next year, but one of those three could EASILY lose the position to bender.

about josh stanhiser: i think it's good that wilton took him out in favor of nordberg. he's still a very streaky player but after this year of experience, he'll be fine.

[Outside corps]

Hawaii should have solid hitting next season from the outside in Azenha, Delgado, Bender, and Motter. Should be interesting since all four will be sophomores...we will see a lot of them in the future. I bet UH will add another hard-hitter by next season.

[Inside UH]

I hear from sources I cannot mention a 20yo 6-7 OH from the Netherlands is the next UH or UN Euro superstar headed to Hawaii. He brings a left handed hammer to add to his 38in vert and a wicked jump serve, passing may be his weakness.

[V]

The Warriors have been more successful when Theocharidis gets his sets

By Grace Wen
[e-mail]

AS Hawaii's first player to reach the 2,000-kill mark, there is no denying All-American Costas Theocharidis is an exceptional volleyball player.

The Hawaii career leader in three categories (kills, attack attempts and aces) defies conventional volleyball wisdom that a team needs balanced hitting to win. Traditionally, the more options there are in a team's offense, the harder it is to defend them. But Theocharidis supersedes the norm.

"If Costas is an average hitter, I would say yes it is better to have a balanced offense, but you've seen him. He can hit against a double block," assistant coach Tino Reyes said. "He's as good as there is against a double block. So it doesn't really matter. What matters is if you get him the ball in the crucial times."

When the Warriors do distribute the ball to more than one player and Theocharidis doesn't lead the team in either hitting category (kills or attempts), Hawaii tends to struggle or lose matches.

In four of the five Mountain Pacific Sports Federation series Hawaii has split this season, the wins and losses can be traced to how many sets Theocharidis received in the matches.

When Hawaii knocked off then-No. 1 UC Irvine in the first match, Theocharidis saw 42 of 120 (or 35 percent) of Hawaii's total attacks. The next day when the Anteaters blew out the Warriors, Theocharidis was second in attempts (20) to Tony Ching (21).

Against Brigham Young, it was a similar story. In the Warriors' loss, the offense was balanced, with three hitters within two or three sets of each other. Theocharidis, Pedro Azenha and Ching totaled 12 kills apiece in the match. In the victory the next night, Theocharidis was the recipient of 55 sets. The next hitter had 21 sets.

Warriors coach Mike Wilton doesn't think it's Theocharidis' numbers that affect the outcome of the game.

"It's more situational. There are certain times when he needs to have the ball and then there's a feel for it, too," Wilton said. "He will communicate to the setter when he wants the ball. That's important.

"We have a pretty balanced attack. Tony takes a reasonable amount of sets. Our attack is balanced enough. We maybe set Costas a bit too much. ... It has to do with the situation. He gets a lot of balls after 20 and of course he's going to get a lot of the bad-pass balls, too. That's how things are."

And that's how they've been for most of his career. Theocharidis cemented his place in the Hawaii record book when he registered the 2,000th kill of his career last Friday against Loyola-Chicago. The milestone might not be touched for a long time.

Theocharidis said he isn't tired of being fed most of the balls and that his shoulders don't hurt from carrying the hitting load. After 4,098 career swings, he still wants the next ball just as much as ever.

"It's a lot of pressure, but I perform better under pressure," Theocharidis said. "When I was back home, they called me Russian. You know, they're cold-blooded murderers with their game face on all the time. When the game comes down to 30-30 and I know I'm going to get the ball, I don't feel a lot of pressure. I feel like it's just another point, like it's the beginning of the game. I think that's why I've been successful.

"I believe in these guys. I have so much confidence in myself and my abilities and that my setter can set me the ball where I want it that I really want the ball every single time. I want it every single time."

And conference splits this season dictate that Hawaii needs to give Theocharidis the ball to win.

"The critical points, he has to have the ball for the most part," Reyes said. "I don't care if the other team knows that, because they still got to stop him anyway. They know he's going to get a lot of sets. But there's critical times throughout the game when he needs to get the ball to stop runs and to keep the run going on our side."

The Costas Factor
starbulletin.com/2003/03/11/sports/story1.html

[kolohekeiki]

I would also like to congratulate Costas for reaching the 2000 kill milestone. You just put your self up there with some of the greatest players of all time.

Good job Costas and I'll be looking forward to watching you play for the rest of the season.