The only thing tougher than having to play the No.4 team in the nation is having play it twice in a row.
That is what will happen when the San Diego State men’s volleyball team (2-5, 2-5 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) takes on the fourth-ranked Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at 7 tonight and tomorrow in Peterson Gym.
Hawaii, (9-2, 6-1 MPSF) is a national power. Actually, one could say, it is an international power. Seven of 17 players on UH’s roster are foreign born, including all six starters.
The ‘Bows are also a young team. Eleven players are freshmen and sophomores, including four starters. While most would think their ages would cause inconsistency and unexpected losses, that has not been the case. Hawaii’s only defeats have come at the hands of No. 5 Long Beach State last Friday and No. 1 UCLA last month in the Outrigger Invitational Tournament.
UH is led by sophomore middle-blocker Andre Breuer. The 6-foot-9 native of Berlin, Germany, is playing in his first season for the Rainbows. He is ranked ninth in the nation in kill average at 5.63 kills per game. Breuer also places eighth in the country in blocking average with 1.86. His statistics are even better in MPSF matches.
Hawaii returns a pair of seniors from Israel in swing hitter Naveh Milo and middle-blocker Sivan Leoni. Last season, Milo earned second-team All-MPSF honors by hitting .317, with 4.5 kills per game. He is currently second in the nation in dig average with 3.08 per game, and has 3.35 dgp in MPSF play. In 1996, the 6-foot-5 Leoni was among the league leaders in hitting percentage and in blocking average.
Another towering force in the middle for the Rainbows is freshman Dejan Miladinovic. The 6-foot-7 middle-blocker hails from Kraljevo, Serbia, and is tied for 19th nationally in dig average with 2.32.
Last, but certainly not least, are two guys named Jorge from Puerto Rico. Freshman setter Jorge Perez won his starting job after only two weeks of practice. In his collegiate debut, Perez recorded a triple-double of 10 kills, 96 assists and 11 digs vs. Penn State. He ranks 11th in the country in assists, average at 16.71 per game. The other freshman, Jorge Alifonso, came off the bench in that same match against Penn State and has not sat down since. He is fifth on the team in kills and third in blocks.
With all the hype surrounding this great volleyball team, some teams and coaches may tend to lose perspective. But Aztecs head coach Jack Henn knows exactly what his team has to do.
“Hawaii is very good,” Henn said. “They have all those foreign guys, which means that they are very experienced. We’re gonna have to play well. One of the things I told our team was the fact that we are going to have to trust our blockers in order to play defense around their block.”
Hawaii is not the only team that has players in the national spotlight. SDSU also has players that have caught the national eye. Senior outside-hitter Matt Hyden is now ranked third nationally in kill average at 7.11 kpg.
Senior setter Dustin Cremascoli now places fifth in the country with 17.68 assists per game. And senior outside-hitter Ken Murczek is also fifth in the nation in dig average, digging 2.65 per game.
One Aztec who might have a huge impact against the Rainbows is the white-hot middle-blocker from Newhall, Sean Mackin.
The 6-foot-4 junior is hitting .625 with 27 kills against only two errors in his last three matches. He is also tied for the team lead in blocks and leads the team in solo blocks. If SDSU hopes to upset Hawaii, Mackin will have to continue his outstanding play.
