LIHU‘E — Maybe it was because his brother was sitting right behind him in the stands, or maybe it was the great time they had on Kaua‘i before the game, enjoying Wailua River, or maybe it was because they were
LIHU‘E — Maybe it was because his brother was sitting right behind him in the stands, or maybe it was the great time they had on Kaua‘i before the game, enjoying Wailua River, or maybe it was because they were tired of losing to UH on this islandwide trip, but whatever the reason, the Pacific Tigers and head coach Joe Wortman came away with an impressive early season win over a UH team, 31-29, 30-22, 30-23, that looked as though, they were worn out from the previous legs on the trip, which started on O‘ahu and ended on the Garden Island.
“We had a great time here and we don’t mind coming back to Kaua‘i at all…we did some hula dancing and traveled the Wailua River,” Wortman said.
His brother, Eric, a Kaua‘i resident watched from behind the Pacific team, along with his wife Cindy, an Island School teacher.
“Awesome job,” Eric said of his brother’s teams performance on Saturday night. Led by Kane‘ohe native Brian Zudrow, who put down 15 kills, and senior middle blocker Nils Dauburs, who followed with 11 spikes, the Tigers came out with a vengeance, after losing to the Warriors on O‘ahu, Hilo, and Moloka‘i.
On the other side, UH looked sluggish and as team manager and Waimea High School three-sport standout Marlo Torres said, “We had a tough traveling schedule and when we got here (Kaua‘i), we had to do autograph sessions, so we were really busy.” Torres is almost complete with her degree at UH and plans to move to the mainland to pursue a career as a nurse. The 1999 Menehune graduate is in her fourth year as men’s volleyball team manager.
Head coach Mike Wilton gave props (recognition) to a talented Pacific Tiger squad.
“All the games we played so far on this trip against them have been really close…they out played us tonight,” Wilton said.
UH was led by junior middle blocker Maulia Labarre and Jose Delgado. The Warrors’ inability to cut down on unforced errors was probably the biggest key in the loss to Pacific. With the Raiderdome packed, the evening featured a tribute to Uncle Kaipo Kealalio, whose dedication to youth sports, scouting, and community service has set a standard for all of us to reach for. UH opens the 2005 season with a pair of exhibition matches against Alberta at the SSC Dec. 29 and 31.
