MIKE CHIEN Senior outside hitter Matt
Komer will be competing in the Outrigger Hotels
Invitational this weekend.
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA men’s volleyball team loves playing in the
Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Hawaii. The No. 2 Bruins have won
the last four years at the tournament. This year’s field
includes four of the top teams in the nation.
There’s No. 11 Lewis, a Midwestern powerhouse that
features All-American sophomore opposite hitter Fabiano
Barreto.
There’s also top-ranked Penn State (1-1) to contend with
on Friday, with the Nittany Lions and their All-American setter
Jose Quiñones looking to justify their ranking.
But of course, the Bruins (2-1) always especially love beating
the tournament’s host team ““ Hawai’i.
It’s a natural rivalry. UCLA has won 18 NCAA
championships. At Hawai’i, volleyball is life.
UCLA has traditionally done well against the No. 5 Warriors
(1-1), leading the all-time series 40-10. Before last year’s
Outrigger, Scates said, “It’s not a rivalry until they
beat us.”
By the end of last season, however, the Warriors had not only
defeated the Bruins, they did it at Pauley Pavilion and rubbed it
in their faces. Hawai’i junior All-American outside hitter
and Player of the Year Costas Theocharidis celebrated the win by
climbing the referee stand.
“The rivalry is definitely there,” UCLA junior
setter Rich Nelson said. “It has to do with two top teams
competing for the No. 1 spot. Sometimes they win, and sometimes we
win. It’s always a good match no matter what.”
Warrior fans will pack the Stan Sheriff Center, making it a
hostile environment for any opposing team. “They’ll
have those 10,220 people there again,” Scates said. Does this
negatively affect UCLA?
“It actually motivates us to show these Hawaiians that
we’re legit,” sophomore middle blocker Chris Peña
said. “They all root against us, and we feed off
that.”
“I love playing in Hawai’i,” Nelson added.
“The fans there live for volleyball and hate UCLA. They pack
the gym, and it’s so loud that you can’t hear anything.
I wish we had that fan support here.
“It’s going to be the toughest tournament of the
year for us, but I feel confident we’re going to beat
everyone.”
Still, UCLA realizes that despite the hype this tournament is
getting, it still is the preseason.
“I don’t care what happens this weekend,”
Peña said. “I want to win the national
championship.”