Suwara Praises Japanese Counterpart
Last week, before winning his 400th match as San Diego State’s women’s volleyball coach, Rudy Suwara made a point to praise the university and his former and current players. He also spoke fondly of Akio Yamagishi, a friend and coach of Nihon University in Japan (enrollment 80,000), who spent the past six months at SDSU on sabbatical.
Suwara said Yamagishi was here to compare the status of sport in the U.S. with that in Japan. He also found time to help out the Aztecs.
Said Suwara: “One day at practice, he served about 400 or 500 balls to the girls. Boom. Boom. Boom. One after the other, he never missed. Finally, after about 25 minutes, he missed one, and he started yelling at himself.
“That’s the kind of standard he set for himself.”
On another occasion, Yamagishi was goofing off and bragged that he could set a ball into a basketball hoop about 25 feet away. The players called his bluff, but Yamagishi sank one as smooth as a Bo Kimble three-pointer.
“After that,” Suwara said, “I told the girls on the team, ‘All coaches can do that.’ ”
Suwara said he will miss having Yamagishi around, but another Japanese coach, Toshi Yoshida, arrived last month for a sabbatical of his own.
Yoshida, coach of Tokyo Gakugei University in Japan, will be at SDSU for nine months to study sports psychology and work with the Aztecs and the U.S. national team. Yoshida was an assistant for the U.S. women’s team in 1982-83.
Point Loma Nazarene’s women’s volleyball team, which has improved in each of the past four years, enjoying what could turn out to be its best season ever.
The Crusaders won 10, 11, 12 and 14 matches the past four years and are off to a 16-5 start this year, including a 6-0 mark in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
Over the weekend, PLNC defeated Fresno Pacific and Azusa Pacific, then ranked fifth and 15th, respectively, in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics. PLNC is now ranked 15th, but faces a tough test tonight at 7 at UC San Diego.
Also in women’s volleyball, the University of San Diego is off to its best start under new Coach Sue Hegerle-Snyder. The Toreras are 9-10, a big improvement over last year’s 2-26 mark, and have a three-game winning streak, their longest since 1985.
Grossmont, coached by Colleen Suwara, Rudy’s wife, is ranked second among California community colleges. The Griffins are the defending state champions.
PLNC’s men’s cross-country team, ranked 11th in the NAIA, will try to defend its GSAC championship Saturday at Bonelli Park in Covina. Last year, the Crusaders’ Goshu Tadese, Gus Arce and Rick Penman finished one-two-three to win the title. Tadese is redshirting this year, but Arce, Penman and senior Sean O’Hara are back.
PLNC’s chances will be enhanced if Marcello Bengoechen of Brazil is cleared to participate. Bengoechen is still awaiting eligibility papers from Brazil. Robert Keter of Kenya had a similar problem cleared up last week.
With Anette Ronnerman and Vanessa Couch running well, PLNC also figures to challenge for the women’s title.
San Diego-area community college football teams went 0-5 for the third consecutive week Saturday. Combined, they have won only three of 25 games this season.
It’s odd enough to think that the college basketball season is around the corner--teams are allowed to begin practicing Monday--but Arizona is sending its baseball team to USD for a doubleheader Oct. 21.