3/1 UH-UCLA Game Stats (news article)
Ixthus1
post
tonight's results tomorrow. Enjoy!
(BTW, if anyone wants a tape of tonight's game, I'm taping it -
reception's a little fuzzy on
my TV, but it's OK. Lemme know.)
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Five weeks ago, they were still a pretender. When Hawaii's
volleyball Rainbows
defeated national champion UCLA by the narrowest of margins in five games
Jan. 27, they
convinced themselves they and the Bruins were equals.
Last night, they may have done a little more.
After losing their first Game 1 of the season, the Rainbows (13-0
and 9-0 in the
MPSF division) stormed back to defeat the No. 3-ranked Bruins 10-15, 15-4,
15-11, 15-
14 before an NCAA record crowd of 10,225 at the Special Events Arena. By
evening's
end, even UCLA head coach Al Scates admitted that the road to May's NCAA
final four is
now paved through Honolulu.
"If Hawaii doesn't get the league finals and the final four, it
will be a major upset,"
said the sport's collegiate dean and holder of 15 NCAA titles. "I don't
think they'll lose
another game."
For a second, Scates paused, remembering his Bruins (11-3, 8-2 in
MPSF) have
another - non-league - match with UH tonight.
"Well, they may lose another game, but I don't think they'll lose
a match in the
conference," he said.
If you asked the Rainbows, Scates' confidence is well-placed.
"I think we're just a tougher team. A better team," said
sophomore Yuval Katz,
who set a season high with 43 kills. "The difference isn't big between
us. Every time you
play UCLA you're going to have a tough match. But we're playing as a team
very well."
Senior setter Erik Pichel added, "The last time, it was more of a
grudge match.
This was more equal."
But UH was most equal, more often. Certainly it was better
balanced. Three
players - Naveh Milo, Jason Ring and Aaron Wilton - reached double figures
in kills.
Although junior Paul Nihipali set a career high with 39 kills for UCLA,
only freshman
Fred Robins was able to lend consistent help.
With Milo chipping in with five of UH's 10 service aces, it was a
package that was
just too much for the Bruins.
"I think we showed maturity," said Milo, who finished with a
season-high 26 kills.
"We had never lost the first game this season, and psychologically that is
different. But
I'm very happy that our players who didn't do well in the first game
stepped forward after
that."
Although the first game began with a pair of Milo aces, it was
decided on the
Bruins' ability to handle UH's jump serves. Consistently, UCLA's Brian
Wells, James
Turner and Tom Stillwell dug hard, spinning serves softly to setter Stein
Metzger. From
there, the All-American deftly set up Nihipali (8 kills) and Robins (9
kills). Meanwhile,
UH had trouble working around Turner and Stillwell, who each had three
blocks. But all
that passing success faded in the second game, which ended with the Bruins
taking their
worst game loss of the season.
UCLA improved in the third game, but Hawaii remained in control,
thanks to its
serving game.
The two teams meet again tonight at 7, with less on the line with
a non-conference
match. It is a sellout.
UCLA G K E A PCT. BS BA D A
Noonan 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0
Vallely 3 0 0 1 .000 0 0 0 0
Metzger 4 5 2 13 .231 0 1 6 2
Wells 4 8 4 27 .148 0 1 7 1
Nihipali 4 39 10 63 .460 0 5
8 1
Taylor 2 1 2 4 -.250 0 1 2 0
Robins 2 17 5 34 .353 0 6 5 0
Stillwell 4 8 3 19 .263 2 5
7 0
Jackson 3 0 0 0 --- 0 0 2 0
Turner 3 6 4 14 .143 0 5 8 0
Harper 3 3 3 8 .000 0 2 4 0
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TOTALS 4 87 33 183 .295 2 26 49 4
HAWAII G K E A PCT. BS BA D A
Pichel 4 3 1 5 .4 2 1 16 2
Katz 4 43 10 71 .465 0 3 11 1
Lee 3 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0
Wilton 4 13 5 28 .286 2 3 3 2
Milo 4 26 4 37 .595 0 0 12 5
Leoni 4 6 2 15 .267 2 4 4 0
Ring 4 14 8 36 .167 1 3 6 0
Tune 2 0 1 1 -1.00 0 0 1 0
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TOTALS 4 105 31 193 .383 7 14 53 10
Team blocks - UCLA 14, Hawaii 14. Assist leader -- UCLA 83 (Metzger 70),
Hawaii 100 (Pichel 87).
Time: 2:26. Att. - 10,225.
Key - G: Games. K-E-A: Kills-Errors-Attempts. Pct.: Hitting percentage
(Kills minus errors divided by
attempts). BS: Block solo. BA: Block assist. D: Dig. A: Ace.
(by Jamie Turner, Advertiser Sports Editor)
C ya
me