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Dave Reardon: UH volleyball team can put itself in wins record book

dave reardon, the honolulu star-advertiser
·4 min read

Jan. 11—No University of Hawaii sports team has won three national championships in a row. The UH men's volleyball team begins its attempt to change that when it opens its season Thursday against Ball State at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

No University of Hawaii sports team has won three national championships in a row. The UH men's volleyball team begins its attempt to change that when it opens its season Thursday against Ball State at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

And, if we're talking individual matches, with 24 wins this season the Warriors would match the program's best three-season run of 68 victories from 1996 to'98 ----that era of Warrior volleyball with no NCAA championships but plenty of excitement.

The asterisk is because in UH's first championship season of 2021, the Warriors went 17-1 in a season abbreviated by COVID-19. With a full schedule, Hawaii surely would have won more matches.

Oh, and if you're curious, the Warriors won 67 matches from'01 to'03—including 24 (or is it 25 ?) in 2002, when UH won the NCAA championship that was later vacated.

One other UH team has come close to three consecutive national titles. Two of coach Dave Shoji's four championships won by the Rainbow Wahine were back-to-back, in 1982 and 1983, when UH went 33-1 and 34-2 with superstar middle Deitre Collins.

In 1981, they won 37 matches and lost just two. Unfortunately, one of those was against USC in the NCAA Regional finals (a defeat the Wahine avenged in the following year's championship match.) So the three-year streak ended before it could get started.

That era was also the peak for UH baseball. Les Murakami's teams never won a national title, but the Rainbows came as close as you can get in 1980. After victories in their first four College World Series games, UH had two chances to beat Arizona once and win the championship of the double-elimination tournament. But the Wildcats beat the'Bows 5-4 and 5-3.

From 1979 through 1981, Hawaii baseball won 178 games with 49 losses—a feat unlikely ever to be matched, since college teams are now limited to 56 regular-season games per year.

In 1979, ace pitcher Derek Tatsuno got credit for the win in 20 of the school-record 69 victories. Since The Franchise left school before the 1980 season to pitch professionally in Japan, we are left to ponder if Tats would have contributed to a win in one of those two championship games against Arizona in the CWS.

The Wahine softball team that got to the Women's College World Series in 2010 won 50 games with a young core featuring freshman sluggers Kelly Majam and Jessica Iwata and sophomore pitching ace Stephanie Ricketts. They continued to win the next two years, but not enough to get back to the series. The Wahine were 131-43 from 2010 to 2012.

But the UH softball team with the most wins over three consecutive seasons ? That would be'95-'97, when the Wahine won 134 games. It would have been even more if Brooke Wilkins had stuck around after'96. The ace hurler from Australia led Hawaii to marks of 51-14 and 47-21 before leaving to represent her country in the Sydney Olympics (and two more after that ).

I am on the constant lookout for surefire bar bets that you loyal readers can spring on unsuspecting non-readers. Here's one you can win without your drinking buddy being the least bit intoxicated.

As with any good hustle, first a set-up : Since the answer is June Jones, your friend will likely guess the correct answer when you ask which UH football coach produced the most wins over a three-year span (28 from 2001 to 2003, and again from 2005 to 2007 ).

Now, make a bet on the good stuff when you ask for the best winning percentage over three years. Unless you're talking to someone who qualifies for AARP, no way your pal comes up with Dave Holmes (24-9, for.727, in both 1970 to'72, and'71-'73 ).

Make sure you specify "since Hawaii started playing an all-college schedule, " or the joke—and drinks—will be on you when your compadre comes up with Otto "Proc " Klum, who coached Hawaii to 23-1-2 from 1923 to 1925 ; I forget how to do winning percentages that include ties, but I do know 23-1-2 is way higher than.727.

(By the way, Klum is still the winningest football coach in school history, if you count those victories over powerhouses like Palama, Healani, Honolulu AC and various Hawaii high school alumni teams.)

Since you're a good sport, you'll offer a double-or-nothing, right ?

Ask who is UH's career leader in pitching victories.

When your friend (or maybe your former friend by this time ) says, "That's easy. Derek Tatsuno, with 40, " tell the bartender to pour you a double.

The correct answer is Ricketts, with 102.