The other shoe drops on Hawaii’s season
IT was so crazy, Mike Wilton lost a shoe.
Don't ask me how it happened. My eyes aren't quite that quick. All we know for sure is that it happened, last night. After one particularly controversial play, there it was. A brown loafer, out in the middle of the court. Hawaii called timeout. Its coach strolled out and slipped back into his footwear before addressing his team.
"Soon," someone was saying, "there will be the 'Sit down, Al' cheer."
(Up in the stands, there was a sign that read the same.)
Yes, you knew it would be this way. You knew it, at last night's MPSF men's volleyball playoff, UH, UCLA. Al Scates and the Bruins had won nine in a row to get here. Hawaii came in red-hot, 19 straight. And it was Hawaii-UCLA. You knew what kind of match it would be. This was how it began.
You knew the winners would celebrate, the way UCLA did, last night, Steve Klosterman circling the court, all the Bruins jumping up and down in a circle, having stolen it in four.
You knew the losing team would feel as if kicked in the gut, as Hawaii did. It ended on a ball gone long, way long. The place was stunned quiet, no one could quite believe it.
In between, it got so crazy you could lose a shoe.
Lauri Hakala spiked one fully splayed out, arms and legs scattered in every direction. Like he hit it so hard he did the splits. He nailed UCLA's libero in the face. It made a dull, thudding sound, like a volleyball hitting someone in the face.
Riley Wallace ate ice cream. Dave Shoji pounded the table in front of him to a LET'S GO 'BOWS beat. Linda Lingle's bodyguards elbowed each other. An auntie in the front row put down her knitting long enough to do the "raise the roof."
UCLA's Paul George went after an errant ball and leapt onto the media table.
Wilton lost a shoe.
Hawaii won a 15-minute rally in Game 4 with a Mauli'a La Barre block. Game 4. That's when it ended. That's when it was craziest. Tied 19-19. Then 23s. And 24.
And then it was over. Aloha Ball got away before anyone knew what had happened. And then it sunk in.
There is a chance they're not done. Maybe. UH had won 19 straight, even got a vote for No. 1, this week. But a loss in the first round ...
Hawaii had rolled in Game 1, a beating. Hawaii was using UCLA like a punching bag. It was like Rocky hitting raw, frozen meat.
But the rest of the match went the way we knew it would. Closely. Crazily. It ended achingly.
La Barre was bent over on the court. Hands on his knees. He shook his head.
It was Hawaii-UCLA.