Hugh Foster Sent Home for Dormitory Rules Violations

Hugh Foster, the former Newport Harbor High School volleyball star who will attend San Diego State in the fall, Tuesday was suspended from play at the U.S. Olympic Festival here and sent home to California for what U.S. Volleyball Assn. officials called violations of the “high standards” of the USVBA.

Foster and three other players were suspended by the association for violating dormitory regulations Monday night, said Deborah Hunter, a national governing body coordinator for the event here.

Hunter and other USVBA officials declined to say exactly which regulations were violated.

Rules governing player conduct here are under the jurisdiction of the individual sport, not the Festival.

Samantha Shaver of Mountain View, Cheri Boyer of Poway and Carl Henkel of Redondo Beach also were suspended, but were allowed to remain in Chapel Hill.

“Three we suspended and one we thought it best to send home,” Hunter said.

Foster, who was en route to his Newport Beach home Tuesday night, could not be reached for comment.

His father, also named Hugh Foster, said it was his understanding that the incident was essentially a curfew violation, and that the punishment seemed “pretty strict” to him.

The volleyball regulations are stricter than those of most other sports here, Hunter said.

“One of our delegation’s concerns is that we could be here with just a massive party on our hands,” Hunter said. “We have to have a little foresight.”

Among the rules instigated for volleyball players at Carmichael dormitory where they are staying here is a 12 p.m. curfew and “a visitation policy,” Hunter said.

Officials began deliberating on a punishment at 1 a.m. Tuesday, Hunter said.

The four apparently had been celebrating the birthday of Shaver, who turned 18 on Monday.

The rules violations took place in the dormitory, Hunter said. Police were not involved.

“We knew the rules, and (Foster) broke a couple of them,” said a player who asked not to be identified.

Foster, 18, a 6-foot 5-inch, 200-pound outside hitter, led Newport Harbor to an undefeated season and the Southern Section 4-A championship. He had been a participant the past two Festivals, and was a member of the gold-medal winning South team in 1985.