Stan Sheriff 25th anniversary: Katz and Hawaii men’s volleyball took community by storm

They were rock stars who played volleyball instead of music and were regularly mobbed for autographs, hugs and kisses. Sometimes they had to sneak out of the arena hidden in laundry carts.

In 1995 and ’96 the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team was crazy good. Its following was simply crazy — so crazy that Warriors coach Mike Wilton called their new home the Special Events Asylum.

Led by star hitter Yuval Katz, Hawaii made it to the final four for the first time in ’95. In ’96 it got to the national championship match.

“I think we bring a lot of flavor to the game and we’re a fun team to watch,” said Wilton, whose son Aaron was among the more popular Warriors.

The players appreciated their huge following and the edge it provided.

“It’s a roar — such an advantage for us,” All-America setter Eric Pichel said. “It’s totally different than on the road, where we might have five or 10 drunk fraternity brothers yelling at us. Over here the visiting teams have to deal with 10,000 people — all different kinds of people, all different ages.”

Fans danced in the aisles. Alan “Rubberband Man” Hackbarth dueled with another boogie man, Warren Epps, during timeouts.

In ’96, Hawaii averaged 7,630 at home, with five sellouts. Two came on the first nights of March, as UH — 12-0 and ranked No. 1 — hosted UCLA. The Warriors were confident; they’d beaten the defending national champions on Jan. 27.

After losing the first set for the first time all season, UH beat the Bruins in four on Friday. Katz led with 43 kills, and the Warriors launched 10 aces.

On Saturday, Hawaii came back after dropping the first two sets, but UCLA took the fifth. UH scored 69 points to 57 for the Bruins.

Two months later, they met again for the national title, at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. Again, Hawaii fell in five sets.

After his sophomore season Katz was named National Player of the Year and left UH to go pro. The departure of Katz and Co. turned the insanity down a few notches, but the Warriors would eventually return to national prominence.