Chris Leonard is aware of what New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said: “It ain’t over until it’s over.”
Berra was the New York Mets manager when he said that in 1973. His Mets were in last place, rallied to win the National League East, and also beat the Cincinnati Reds to capture the NL pennant.
The Mets lost to the Oakland A’s in the World Series, but his words ring true for anyone who’s a Boston Red Sox fan. The Red Sox were down 0-3 to the Yankees in the American League championships series but won eight straight to seize the AL pennant and the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Leonard’s UH-Hilo volleyball team, which is fifth in the PacWest, is in the same boat.
The Vulcans (14-5, 11-4 PacWest) have five matches left, including a showdown against sixth-place Point Loma (13-10, 9-6) on Wednesday, and a monster doubleheader against first-place Azusa Pacific (16-4, 11-1) on Saturday.
The two-time defending Cougars are not invincible. Concordia, in fourth place, swept APU in September. The Vuls split against the Eagles.
UHH wasn’t ranked in the first West Region poll, so it seems obvious another loss eliminates any chance of receiving a spot in the Top 8 in the final rankings. The PacWest, CCAA, and GNAC conference champions earn the automatic qualifiers. The other five West Regional teams are determined by the poll.
“What’s happening this season where everybody beats everybody has certainly helped us, but we’ve got to win games to give ourselves a chance,” he said. “We have to play cleaner like we did Saturday night for that to happen.”
The Vulcans swept Fresno Pacific 25-19, 25-11, 25-23 and made preseason player of the year pick Corinne Acosta look below average. The 5-foot-9 junior had six kills and six errors and hit .000 for the Sunbirds, who are eighth. For UHH, Bria Beale compiled 14 kills, and Sydney Gott and Samara Cruz added 10 apiece in front of a crowd of 112. Gott had five blocks.
On Thursday night, the Vuls stubbed their toe in a four-set loss to subpar Academy of Art (8-15, 5-10), currently seventh..
“Against Art, our passing broke down a little bit, and it kept us out of system,” Leonard said. “On Saturday, we passed a lot better, and it was a really big difference.”
One interesting thing about the Urban Knights is that the player with the most potential is freshman Ashley Mecham, who’s 5-11 and from Kauai. She had 15 kills and hit .178.
She hits a nice cut shot that runs toward her right arm, just like Biola’s Madison Beebe, who’s a better passer. But Mecham has time to grow. Every time UHH’s block had a seam, she hit through it; otherwise she slammed her cutter.
Was she on Leonard’s recruiting radar?
Despite the COVID-19 canceled prep sports season from last year, Leonard knew about her as a sophomore. He has eyes and ears everywhere. He’s a volleyball guy, but it’s impossible to sneak a fastball or a top local recruit by him.
“I saw her play in high school and knew she was interested in going to the mainland,” he said. “She’s physical and has a nice arm swing. It’ll be interesting to watch her develop in the next couple of years.”
Mecham is majoring in interior architecture and design, a subject Art specializes in. But you never know. Maybe one day she becomes interested in Volcanoes and decides to transfer.
Two players who were expected to help the Vulcans won’t. Nicole Schmitz, a 5-9 sophomore from the University of Jamestown, got injured and returned home to North Dakota. UHH senior right-side hitter Alex Parisian injured her knee Oct. 6 in a five-set win over Biola and is finished for the season.
“She’s still supporting the team. She’s still vocal,” Leonard said. “She’s still engaged with the team and helps off the court. I’m proud of her. It’s not easy to do.”
If anything, Alex can always shout to her teammates, “It ain’t over until it’s over.”
Hoops fan policy
The county has approved up to 500 fans to attend basketball games at UHH gym under the following conditions:
1. All fans must provide proof of vaccination upon entry. It is recommend that they download the LumiSight UH app from the Apple App Store or Google play store.
2. Masks must be worn at all times.
3. Fans must physically distance themselves from other parties.
Tickets will be sold at the door for cash only: $10 for adults, $6 for senior citizens (65 and older), and $6 for middle/high school students.
The first game is 7 p.m. Friday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.