North Greenville, Hawaii inspired by Pauley

LOS ANGELES >> The goal of every men’s collegiate volleyball team — realistic or not — is to win the national championship. It’s the talk during the fall when it all seems very plausible, given that everyone is 0-0.

And now that it’s NCAA Tournament week, that goal has become realistic for six programs. The talk is not just about the plausible, it also is about the reality that, come Saturday, one of the six will have earned that distinction of national champion.

Just as in fall, five programs enter the week 0-0. The sixth already knows how to win at Pauley Pavilion: North Greenville is 1-0 after Sunday’s opening-round sweep of Princeton.

The Crusaders (21-5) may have more incentive than the rest of the field — four of the five having at least two titles. NGU is playing for retiring head coach and program founder Fred Battenfield as well as for Puerto Rico, home to five players on the 18-man roster.

Senior setter Sergio Carrillo was on his recruiting trip to the Tigerville, S.C., campus about a month after Hurricane Maria devastated the Commonwealth in 2017. He found a familiar sense of community at the small Southern Baptist-affiliated school whose enrollment (1,800) is greater than the no-stoplight rural town (1,300) founded around 1800.

And so began the 1,513-mile pipeline between NGU and Puerto Rico, where Carrillo talked to two friends who talked to two others. The five all are expected to start in today’s second-round match against defending NCAA champion Hawaii (24-5).

“My dream was to play college ball,” Carrillo said during Monday’s press conference. “Then when I had that opportunity at North Greenville my plan was to help the most I can to the boys back on the island achieve the same dream. So far it’s worked.

“For all of us, obviously it’s hard to be really far away from our families, but it’s the sacrifice we need to make to achieve the goal. We have seen all the support from the school and from back home, when we won Conference Carolinas tournament and (Sunday) night. We really appreciate all the support every time we step on the court and we are seeing our flag and playing for it.”

The Warriors can relate on many fronts, from being far away from home — including three starters from Europe and one from Brazil — to playing for “their flag.” Numerous Hawaii state flags have long shown up at away venues and — just as happens with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team — the UH fans often outnumber those of the home team.

Turning Pauley Pavilion into Stan Sheriff Center-East was a goal vocalized immediately after the Warriors won the Big West Tournament on April 23. Hawaii credited its fan support (over 6,000 for both the semifinals and final) as a huge factor in sweeping UC Irvine and Long Beach State in securing the conference’s automatic bid.

Prior to their first practice in Pauley Pavilion on Monday, the Warriors talked about competing in the historic, 12,829-seat arena. It was hard to miss all the NCAA championship banners hanging above the court, including 11 for men’s basketball, 10 of which came under the late legendary coach John Wooden.

“I watched plenty of (UCLA) basketball games on TV with players like Russell Westbrook,” Hawaii sophomore middle Cole Hogland said. “It’s kind of cool being on the same court as them.

“And then you see all the jerseys up there (in the rafters) like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. It’s cool playing in here.”

Playing in Pauley Pavilion was a lifelong dream for Battenfield, who grew up in Arizona but said he was a huge UCLA basketball fan.

“When I saw that the tournament was going to be at Pauley, I kept telling the guys something special was going to happen,” said Battenfield, a part-time coach with a full-time teaching position at NGU. “We’re one of the lucky ones to make it here and play in this beautiful arena.”

Neither team would care if the match was played on an asphalt court. It’s wherever and whatever it takes to keep the season alive.

Both Hawaii and North Greenville know that it all begins with the serve, making the other uncomfortable and being unable to run all offensive options.

“We’ve been a bully from the service line,” said Crusaders assistant Matthew McManaway, Battenfield’s first recruit who will take over the program next season. “Obviously, it’s Hawaii. They’re going to be in-system. So whatever we can do to get them out of system is going to be our goal.”

Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said he’s been following NGU all season and, “I’m impressed with their team. They’re an aggressive serving team and they’re playing with a lot of confidence.

“For us, it’s about focusing on what we can control, our level of engagement. If we play with focus, that’s what we can control.

“It’s about one point at a time and playing in the moment.”