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Thunder bested lightning in the Hawaii volleyball team’s 25-20, 25-23, 25-18 victory over UC San Diego on Wednesday in La Jolla, Calif.
Before empty stands in RIMAC Arena — the cardboard cutouts were no-shows — the Rainbow Warriors used an active block, tough serves and outside-hitting power to counter the Tritons’ quick attack.
The Warriors are 3-0 in this season-opening road trip in Southern California. The Tritons are 0-1. The rematch is tonight.
Opposite attacker Rado Parapunov and outside hitter Colton Cowell provided the 1-2 scoring punch. Parapunov delivered 12 kills (against one error) in 20 swings. Parapunov, who is left-handed, even used his right hand to curl a shot past a frozen blocker. Cowell hammered 11 kills in 24 swings. Both were effective launching shots from the pins and back row. In one rotation, they were side-by-side, with Parapunov a threat on D-sets and Cowell an option on pipes.
“When guys are that talented,” UH coach Charlie Wade said of the two seniors, “you’re going to set them no matter where they are on the floor.”
Parapunov and Cowell also displayed their other skills. Parapunov, who is next to middle Patrick Gasman in the rotation, often formed a double wall that took away line and angle shots. Parapunov, who is 6 feet 9, amassed nine blocks, including two solo rejections. Gasman, a 6-10 senior, had his hand prints on six blocks.
“That’s a pretty formidable duo up there,” Wade said. “They’re going to block a lot of balls, no doubt.”
Cowell came up with a key play in the second set. With UH leading 22-21, Kyle McCauley hit a crossing shot past Parapunov. The ball struck Cowell’s right shoelaces, popped up in the air, and sparked a rally that Parapunov finished with a slam. A replay review confirmed the dig. The Warriors scored two of the next three points to take a 2-0 lead.
“We practiced that a lot in the gym,” Cowell joked. “No, it was pure luck in a very critical stage of the game, and I’m very glad that call went our way. And I think luck is better than skill sometimes.”
Wade said Parapunov “should have blocked that ball.” To which Parapunov responded: “Thank God his foot was there because I was already hearing in my head Charlie yelling at me.”
In the first set, McCauley buried eight kills (against one error) in 10 swings. In the final two sets, McCauley had two kills and seven errors in 13 swings. While the Tritons had success with quick sets to middles Logan Clark and Shane Benetz, it was not enough without a complementary outside attack.
“Fortunately at the end, we were able to get in front of them a little better,” Wade said.
After the match, UH confirmed it was looking to switch opponents for the Big West opener. Cal State Northridge, which has not practiced because of the pandemic, does not feel it will be ready to play UH on March 11 and 12. UC Santa Barbara has reached a tentative agreement to play host to UH on those dates — with the possibility of a third match — with the UH-CSUN matches moved to April 9 and 10.
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