Box Score

HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i junior All-American outside hitter Costas Theocharidis posted 21 kills and hit an incredible .667 as the Warriors swept past No. 1 Penn State in day one action at the 8th Annual Outrigger Volleyball Invitational.

Theocharidis, the reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year, committed just one hitting error in 30 swings as the Warriors hit a season-high .562 as a team to down Penn State. The native of Orestiada, Greece took-over in game two, recording 17 kills over the last two games for Hawai'i.

Senior All-American middle blocker Dejan Miladinovic was efficient once again, hitting .667, with seven kills and just one error to add to his three block assists.

Freshmen Delano Thomas and Jose Delgado made their first collegiate starts memorable, combining for 19 kills and eight block assists. Thomas, a 6-foot-7 middle from Sacramento, Calif., posted 11 kills, hitting .562 and put-up three block assists to contribute. Delgado, a Puerto Rican native, hit .500 with eight kills and had a match-high five block assists to ignite Hawai'i from his outside hitter position.

Hawai'i sophomore setter Kimo Tuyay helped lead the effort, as he posted 46 assists and allowed five starters–Theocharidis (.667), Miladinovic (.667), Thomas (.563), Delgado (.500), and Eyal Zimet (.417)– to hit over .400 on the night.

The Nittany Lions struggled against a stubborn Hawai'i defense, hitting .160 in game one and .167 in game two, and commtting 22 hitting errors on the match. Carlos Guerra, who was 10th in the nation in hitting percentage last season for Penn State, had just eight kills in 23 attempts and posted a -.087 percentage.

The 8th Annual Outrigger Invitational continues tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center, with Penn State and UCLA meeting at 4:30 p.m. Hawai'i hosts Lewis at 7:00 p.m. in the evening match.