Box Score
HONOLULU – The third-ranked Warrior volleyball squad won the battle and the war against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation nemessis UCLA, winning in straight sets over the second-ranked Bruins, 30-19, 30-20, 30-20, before a vocal crowd of 7,358 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawai'i sophomore setter Kimo Tuyay was credited with a match-high 39 assists, directing the Warrior attack to a .477 team hitting percentage. The Warriors commited only nine hitting errors in 86 total swings, while UCLA struggled to a .159 percentage with 42 kills and 25 errors. Tuyay helped three Warrior attackers post double-digit kill totals, as five Hawai'i starters registered hitting percenatges of .389 or better.
Warrior All-American outside hitter Costas Theocharidis led all players with 14 kills in 30 swings for a .400 hitting percentage. Junior Tony Ching contributed 11 kills, including five in six attempts to key a 30-19 Hawai'i win in the first set. Freshman middle Delano Thomas led all hitters with a .733 attack percentage, with 11 kills with no errors in 15 swings.
Senior middle Dejan Miladinovic recorded a match-high six total blocks while putting down seven kills with no errors in 11 attempts.
The straight set match sweep was the first by the “Men of War” against a UCLA squad since Mar. 21, 1998, when Hawai'i defeated the Bruins 15-8, 15-1, 15-7.
The series sweep was historic for the Warrior program, who recorded a series sweep of the Bruins just once before. The Warriors defeated UCLA, 3-1, on Mar. 23 and Mar. 25 during the 1988 campaign under former coach Alan Rosehill as members of the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (WIVA).
The Warriors, who are now in sole possession of second place in the MPSF standings, will complete their regular-season next Friday and Saturday with matches at home against BYU. Both matches are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center. The entire series will be televised live, state-wide on K5, “The Home Team.” Rainbow Sports Radio (1420 AM) will also carry the match live. Both broadcasts will be available via the internet through the Warrior Volleyball website, at http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu.
