UCLA
Hawai'i (Outrigger Tournament)
UCLA Wins Five-Game Battle against Hawaii
January 21, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 21, 2006
Thursday night's streak-busting UCLA victory set the stage for Friday's victorious slugfest against seventh-ranked Hawaii in the final match of the 12th Annual Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Honolulu, HI.
The Bruins' 3-2 triumph on Jan. 20 did not give them the tournament title - Hawaii won its fifth Outrigger championship on a differential of games won - but UCLA left the Aloha State with a measure of respect and confidence after rising from its low point to defeat a quality opponent.
A 3-0 loss to No.9 Ohio State on Wednesday had extended the Bruins' slump to three matches, which they rectified with a 3-0 sweep over Penn State on Thursday.
On Friday, UCLA outlasted Hawaii 30-26, 30-26, 25-30, 27-30, 16-14 in two hours and 45 minutes in front of 4,451 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Bruins raised their overall record to 4-3, while the Rainbow Warriors dipped to 3-2. Both teams won two of three matches in the tournament, but UH won eight games to the Bruins' six.
The Bruins won the first two games by hitting .400 and out-blocking the Warriors, 6.0-3.0. Hawaii committed 13 hitting errors and hit just .294, while serving zero aces. The UCLA middle hitters were hot - seniors Nick Scheftic and David Russell boasted a combined attack line of 16-0-24, and junior outside hitter Steve Klosterman recorded six kills (.500) and a block assist.
But in Game 3, UCLA Head Coach Al Scates pulled Klosterman out of the lineup because of shoulder pain, and the Bruins lost some steam.
The Warriors got untracked and served three aces, hit .324 and recorded three total blocks to snatch Game 3. In addition, senior Matt Carere smacked five kills in the game and senior Dio Dante added three, followed by two from Eric Kalima.
Hawaii continued its hot hitting in Game 4, attacking at a .458 rate. Kalima added five more kills and Carere recorded four. The Bruins, meanwhile, were experiencing lineup woes: Klosterman remained on the bench with senior Damien Scott, who had left in Game 3 with an attack percentage of .048. By the end of the game, however, Scott had warmed up with a pair of kills to set the stage for Game 5
The Warriors raced to leads of 4-0 and 6-2 in the final game before the Bruins stormed back to tie the score at 6-6 following a fortuitous call by the head official. After a Hawaii timeout with the score 6-5, a net serve by UCLA senior David Russell was replayed because the whistle had not blown to signal the start of play. Russell served his next ball in and Scott blocked Kalima to tie the score at 6-6.
The Bruins held an 8-7 lead at the changeover, but the Warriors strung together a 3-0 run for a 10-8 lead to force the Bruins to use their second timeout. Luck smiled on the Bruins again when, following the timeout, Carere hit a ball out with an open net in front of him. UCLA's Paul George served an ace and the score was knotted, 10-10. A kill by UCLA freshman Sean O'Malley gave the visitors an 11-10 lead and forced UH to burn its second timeout. Another kill by O'Malley gave the Bruins a two-point cushion. George served a net ball for 12-11, but Scheftic slammed a kill to give the Bruins a 13-11 lead.
The Warriors fought back. Scheftic served long and UH blocked O'Malley twice in a row for a 14-13 lead. UH sophomore Kyle Klinger's serve produced an overpass, but Gonzalez won a joust at the net to tie the score. Gonzalez's serve at 14-14 produced an overpass by Hawaii All-American Libero Alfred Reft that was slammed down for a point by O'Malley. On the next serve, UH's Lauri Hakala's attempt sailed just beyond the end line to give the Bruins the match.
Gonzalez, who finished with four kills (.667), 69 set assists and one block assist, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. His remarkable save in Game 2 helped the Bruins maintain a late lead and stem the Warriors' momentum. With the Bruins leading 26-24, Scott dug an attempt by Kalima that traveled outside the court to Hawaii's side of the net. Gonzalez chased down the errant dig, threaded his save back over to the UCLA side, and Scott slammed it home for a three-point cushion.
Russell was named to the All-Tournament Team as well after slamming 14 kills (.394) and leading the team with eight total blocks. Scheftic led the Bruins with 17 kills (.519), and George added 15 (.323). Redshirt sophomore Libero Eric Chaghouri, making his second start in the tournament, recorded five digs and passed 45 serves without a reception error.
Carere led Hawaii with 16 kills and three aces, and Hakala added 11.
The Bruins return home and resume MPSF play with a pair of matches Jan. 26 and 28 against BYU. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.
