Sake (Asuka) Article in The Advertiser (HI)

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Digging volleyball again

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

UC Irvine libero Brent Asuka said he would have traded all of his individual awards for a national championship.

"I'd rather win the national championship, by far," he said. "The individual accolades are great, but the ultimate prize is winning as a team."

Luckily, Asuka doesn't have to choose.

UC Irvine defeated Indiana-U.-Purdue U. Fort Wayne, 30-24, 24-30, 30-23, 30-28, Saturday to capture its first National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship.

"It's just barely hit me," said Asuka, a 2005 'Iolani graduate. "It was (IPFW's) first time (in the finals) too. It was fun, it was crazy, it was a dream come true. Everything worked out perfectly.

"The finals were extremely nerve-racking. It was our first time in the finals and we knew we had to play well."

Asuka's past two years seemingly mirrored the Anteaters' season.

As a freshman, his honors increased like the number of UCI wins.

UCI won its first MPSF regular season title and was ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season, before losing in the national semifinals in 2006.

Last season Asuka was the AVCA National and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year, and was named to the first team in both after averaging 3.03 digs per game, good for third in the nation.

He was also named the Asics/Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year and earned All-America first-team honors by the publication.

UC Irvine advanced to its first Final Four, only to be eliminated in the semifinals by Penn State.

"It was all a high (last year), but it didn't end how we expected," Asuka said. "This year, all the ups and downs, the whole journey was truly amazing, but it ended how we wanted it."

The "ups and downs" Asuka was referring to could be for both him and the Anteaters.

UC Irvine started the season No. 1 in the polls but dropped to third during the season.

Asuka was pulled from the starting lineup, but still garnered MPSF third-team honors after leading the team with 2.13 digs per game.

The pressure following the success of last season weighed on Asuka, who admittedly had trouble this season.

"I just had a little slump in the beginning of the season," he said. "I wasn't playing as well as last year, I guess. My backup filled in perfectly. We won games, and then volleyball became fun again."

Asuka lost his starting job a third of the way into the season and even sat for a couple of matches.

"The team and coach stayed behind me and I worked out the problems I had," he said. "I went to practice with the mindset I had nothing to lose, and I started to have more fun. I knew I didn't have to do everything."

Asuka regained his starting role in a five-game win over Brigham Young in February.

UCI was 9-20 the year before Asuka arrived. In the past two seasons it made two Final Four appearances with a national championship.

"I'm always going to remember this day," Asuka said, "but hopefully we can keep on working and our team stays intact and we can make another run for another title the next two years."