comscore Warriors will be tested on road trip | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Every act of aloha counts. Click here to DONATE to the MAUI RELIEF Fund.
Sports

Warriors will be tested on road trip

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now

The answers to the Hawaii volleyball team’s postseason chances might be found in the Pyramid.

The Warriors were scheduled to arrive in California last night in preparation for key Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against Long Beach State tomorrow and Saturday in the interestingly shaped arena named the Walter Pyramid.

With UH on spring break next week, the Warriors will remain on the road for matches against Brigham Young, March 24 and 25.

"This trip will define us," UH middle blocker Jarrod Lofy said. "I know it will define us for the better. I have no question about it. We want to go on the road, get a few wins, and come back."

The 10th-ranked Warriors have won four in a row, all at home, to move into fifth place in the MPSF with an 8-6 record. Each member plays 22 MPSF matches, with the top eight teams qualifying for the league’s tournament.

No. 2 BYU is third at 9-5 and No. 5 Long Beach State is fourth at 8-5.

"We’ve worked to get ourselves back to being kind of relevant in the league standings," UH coach Charlie Wade said. "We’re sitting at (No.) 5, and going to play (Nos.) 4 and 3. If you want to move up, you’ve got to beat them. If you don’t beat them, you’re not that good."

The Warriors might receive a boost with the possible availability of middle blocker Brennon Dyer, who missed the past four matches with a sprained right ankle. Dyer’s right foot is no longer in a medical boot, and he is traveling with the team.

Dyer is an aggressive server and a quick-set threat. His hitting accuracy of .445 would rank third among MPSF players if he had more attempts.

Shane Welch, a 6-foot-10 freshman, has played well in Dyer’s absence, averaging 1.06 blocks per set.

In Saturday’s three-set sweep of Pacific, the Warriors had 18 blocks.

"In general, the whole team is clicking," Lofy said.

Lofy was raised in Long Beach, and has looked forward to playing in front of childhood friends and family members.

Still, he said, "at the end of the day, it’s a business trip, and every (match) is the (match) you have to win. It doesn’t matter where I’m playing."

Comments have been disabled for this story...

Click here to view ongoing news coverage of the Maui wildfires. Sign up for our free e-newsletter to get the latest news delivered to your inbox. Download the Honolulu Star-Advertiser mobile app to stay on top of breaking news coverage.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up