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Post by ACE on Oct 18, 2006 10:23:35 GMT -5
LOL! It just doesn't seem to be in her nature. I also wish Kanoe would be a more vocal leader but that's just not her. I liked Mason's intensity tonight. There were times especially at the end of the 2nd and 4th games where she looked completely pissed off. Am I wrong or did she snap at or wave off Shoji in the 4th games when he was yelling instructions at her. I seen that too. Funny.
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Post by LanaiBoy on Oct 18, 2006 12:05:22 GMT -5
Jaime Lee had a good night with 23 digs. However, did anyone notice that she got lots of sets last night, about a half dozen with three assists. Most set balls are hills, well rounded. Lee's sets are extremely tall pinnacles; they go almost straight up and down about 20 feet high. I noticed that Mason and Houston seemed to love those type of sets. Slow, took forever to come down. The Notre Dame blockers had forever to prepare for their spikes. On the other hand, Mason and Houston just slammed the ball at their highest reach. There is something to say for the high and outside sets to the outsides. Predictable, but you sure can get some cannon shots from them.
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Post by Aikea on Oct 18, 2006 12:36:52 GMT -5
starbulletin.com/2006/10/18/sports/story01.htmlMason lifts Wahine The senior from Hilo has a career night against Notre Dame By Cindy Luis cluis@starbulletin.com It seemed oddly appropriate that when the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine volleyball team needed a shift in momentum last night against Notre Dame, it came from a Big Island native. Hilo-born senior Sarah Mason was the epicenter of key rallies for the 16th-ranked Rainbow Wahine, putting down a career-high 22 kills and coming up with four blocks and 11 digs to help defeat the Irish 30-28, 30-25, 22-30, 30-23 in 2 hours and 14 minutes. A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 3,645 (6,027 tickets) saw Hawaii win its seventh straight over Notre Dame as well as grind out its sixth victory in seven matches over the past 11 days. The Wahine (15-5) next take the court when hosting Idaho in a Western Athletic Conference match Oct. 27. "There was fatigue out there but you had to push through it," said Mason, who left the interview session with ice packs on her right shoulder and ankle. "There was a sense of pride to end it, after getting to that fourth game to begin with when we should have won in three. "I was just trying to stay efficient, find the holes on the court." Mason was as efficient as they come in the first two games, putting down a combined 18 kills with no errors in 31 attempts. She also made the momentum-turning play in Game 1 when the Wahine found themselves trailing 28-25. Mason's solo block of Mallorie Croal -- the first Irish hitting error in 46 swings -- jump-started a 5-0 run that put Hawaii up 1-0. Notre Dame didn't slow down Mason until early in Game 3 when she was blocked on her 32nd swing. She had just one kill in Game 3 and three in Game 4, but her two final kills helped close out the match on a 6-0 run. It also was a big night for sophomore Jamie Houston, who added 21 kills. It was the first time Hawaii had two players with 20-plus kills since 2003 when Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku each had 21 against Florida in the national semifinal. "Sarah has been an anchor," said UH freshman libero Jayme Lee, who shared match-high dig honors of 23 with Irish libero Danielle Herndon. "Her leadership on the court is really great. She's always fun to watch and tonight she was having fun, banging like she knows she can." Debbie Brown said her team's goal was to win a match, not just take a game off Hawaii. Winning Game 3 was a start but "it's a different mind-set after we felt we gave away Game 1," Brown said. "We had a pretty good lead and let them come back on us. We talked about continuing to do the things we had been doing that were successful. "I do think (the Wahine) were fatigued and that was the time to turn it up a notch." Instead, the Wahine began to smell "rest." At 17-17, Mason put down her first kill of Game 4 on an overpass to start a 3-0 spurt that gave Hawaii the lead for good. Notre Dame pulled to within 24-23 but an Irish service error gave the ball back to Lee, who served for the final five points. Justine Stremick led the Irish (12-7) with 14 kills, hitting .636, with no errors on 22 attempts. Adrianna Stasiuk added 12 kills and Croal 11. Kari Gregory added 10 kills for Hawaii, with just one error. "We did hit the wall again in Game 3," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "We didn't have much energy. And Game 4 could have gone either way. "I'm really proud of the team tonight. They were obviously tired and Sarah (50 attempts) and Jamie (59 attempts) hit a ton of balls. They hit a plateau at the end but found some energy at the end." The Wahine will take the next two days off before returning to the practice gym Friday. Hawaii has one impressive streak remaining, that of 87 consecutive home conference victories, which dates back to a Big West loss to UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 10, 1994. The Wahine, 76-0 in WAC matches at the Sheriff Center, next host Idaho Oct. 27. Notes: The Wahine officially lost a third player for the season yesterday when it was announced that sophomore Jessica Keefe would undergo knee surgery within a few weeks. The right-side hitter dislocated her left knee after putting down the match-ending kill at Louisiana Tech last Wednesday, tearing both her ACL and MCL, as well as her medial and lateral meniscus. The Ames, Iowa, native had played in the first 17 matches for the Rainbow Wahine, averaging 1.38 kills and 0.88 blocks per game. Hawaii earlier lost junior hitter Tara Hittle (ankle) and sophomore middle Nickie Thomas (knee). ... With her 58 assists last night, senior setter Kanoe Kamana'o upped her career total to 5,739. She is 134 assists away from becoming the WAC career leader, a record of 5,873 held by Colorado State's Analisa Saylor. The NCAA record is 6,650, held by Tammy Robertson of Alabama-Birmingham.
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Post by Wolfgang on Oct 18, 2006 12:43:08 GMT -5
"epicenter" -- Oy vei...
I've seen ice packs on Sarah's shoulders and ankles after every match I've seen them play. I've seen them on Heather Bown and Kim Willoughby and Lily. On thighs, calves, abdomen, elbows, knees, all body parts. Usually, it's a preventative measure. In fact, I'm wearing ice packs on my hands, as I type this. To much typing. No big deal.
Debbie Brown also mentioned Notre Dame gave away Game 1. Darn coaches. First, Shoji and how his team "gave away" the match to NMSU. Now, Brown. Oy vei...
The 87 home consecutive win streak is not impressive. It's the WAC.
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Post by ooreo46 on Oct 18, 2006 19:27:41 GMT -5
I wonder how long Mason's shoulder can hold up? Last night was the best I've seen her contact the ball perfectly and follow through with authority. She seem's to be having a lot of "up and down" matches lately. I notice when she struggles offensively, everything else about her game collapses. Hopefully, she can find an "in-between" level, be a leader on court, and stay consistent. One thing she really has to work on is playing backrow defense. She has the anticipation and court sense but the technique is off.
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Post by Wallyball on Oct 19, 2006 16:59:30 GMT -5
Does anyone out there think that Hawaii is on the downward spiral from being a national powerhouse, like LBSU, or is this just a bad year with injuries? I mean, even with everyone healthy, they still were getting their clocks cleaned pretty good by ranked teams, and are clawing and scratching for wins against perceived lower opponents.
And before anyone jumps on my a**, I AM a Hawaii fan, and have been all my life (although I live in Seattle now and root for the Huskies just as much).
I just have this feeling that the team does not look in that great shape for the next few years. We don't have a real consistent terminator, we lose Kanoe, and everyone else just seems, well, kind of mediocre. Don't get me wrong, this is still a top 25 team for sure, but nowhere near the level it was for the past 10 years.
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Post by Wolfgang on Oct 19, 2006 17:06:54 GMT -5
Hawaii is in the WAC. That guarantees them a good 19 wins per year (16 in season and 3 in tourney), (+/- 1 or 2 wins depending on future WAC configuration) plus some cupcake competition in the preseason tourneys. They will win at least 21 or 22 every year. So, I don't think they will go downhill. But I don't see them going uphill either. Nor do I see them winning the NCAA title in the next 10 years.
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Post by ugopher on Oct 19, 2006 17:10:09 GMT -5
I'm sure it is a down year. They have a lot of things going for them such as the fan base and location. Probably the one thing that is really working against them and other historical strong programs such as USD, LBSU, etc. is the number of up and coming programs throughout the country. The traditional powers are no longer a lock to get all the best high school players.
Although, if I were Hawai'i I would be concerned about one thing - the WAC conference. Not the sexiest conference in the country and the sandy beaches can carry you only so far. They need others in the conference to step up and become better. Not sure those schools can compare with the Pac 10, Big 12, and Big 10 in terms of competition. Sure, it is nice to be virtually guaranteed a conference championship every year but the best players want to be tested.
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Post by Mix Breed-TEXAS,HI,LBSU on Oct 19, 2006 17:19:05 GMT -5
Does anyone out there think that Hawaii is on the downward spiral from being a national powerhouse, like LBSU, or is this just a bad year with injuries? I mean, even with everyone healthy, they still were getting their clocks cleaned pretty good by ranked teams, and are clawing and scratching for wins against perceived lower opponents.And before anyone jumps on my a**, I AM a Hawaii fan, and have been all my life (although I live in Seattle now and root for the Huskies just as much). I just have this feeling that the team does not look in that great shape for the next few years. We don't have a real consistent terminator, we lose Kanoe, and everyone else just seems, well, kind of mediocre. Don't get me wrong, this is still a top 25 team for sure, but nowhere near the level it was for the past 10 years. No wayyyyyyyy is the Hawai'i program ever going to go down hill and that's for sure. We may not win championship's or get the best players in the country year in and year out. But you can bet that Hawai'i will always be RANKED every year and continue to be a power house!!!........................................ALWAYS.......................You should know this, and have faith in our home team!...
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Post by Mix Breed-TEXAS,HI,LBSU on Oct 19, 2006 17:22:15 GMT -5
Hawaii is in the WAC. That guarantees them a good 19 wins per year (16 in season and 3 in tourney), (+/- 1 or 2 wins depending on future WAC configuration) plus some cupcake competition in the preseason tourneys. They will win at least 21 or 22 every year. So, I don't think they will go downhill. But I don't see them going uphill either. Nor do I see them winning the NCAA title in the next 10 years. That's funny! no really....but that's what you think...
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Post by pineapple on Oct 19, 2006 17:30:58 GMT -5
Does anyone out there think that Hawaii is on the downward spiral from being a national powerhouse, like LBSU, or is this just a bad year with injuries? I mean, even with everyone healthy, they still were getting their clocks cleaned pretty good by ranked teams, and are clawing and scratching for wins against perceived lower opponents. And before anyone jumps on my a**, I AM a Hawaii fan, and have been all my life (although I live in Seattle now and root for the Huskies just as much). I just have this feeling that the team does not look in that great shape for the next few years. We don't have a real consistent terminator, we lose Kanoe, and everyone else just seems, well, kind of mediocre. Don't get me wrong, this is still a top 25 team for sure, but nowhere near the level it was for the past 10 years. Nothing's way out with what you said. It's quite a legitimate view. But it has to be put in context. I'll try to do that. First, LBSU, Pacific and the rest of the BW have gone downhill after Hawaii left the conference. This tells me Hawaii was a factor in keeping the BW up. Second, as long as Hawaii Stays in the WAC they will be on top for a long time. I see reverse of the WAC/Hawaii syndrome here: The WAC is getting stronger each year with Hawaii's presence. third, as far as Hawaii not having terminators, it can be attributed to the passing woes, more so than any top 10 team. Houston and Mason are both great terminators. We know that poor passing has kept them at bay, as it has kept Kanoe at bay. A 3-time AA just does not become ordinary just like that. The passing has kept her from setting correctly. Hittle is the team's best passer. Things would be different, I think, with her around.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2006 17:38:12 GMT -5
Does anyone out there think that Hawaii is on the downward spiral from being a national powerhouse, like LBSU, or is this just a bad year with injuries? I mean, even with everyone healthy, they still were getting their clocks cleaned pretty good by ranked teams, and are clawing and scratching for wins against perceived lower opponents. And before anyone jumps on my a**, I AM a Hawaii fan, and have been all my life (although I live in Seattle now and root for the Huskies just as much). I just have this feeling that the team does not look in that great shape for the next few years. We don't have a real consistent terminator, we lose Kanoe, and everyone else just seems, well, kind of mediocre. Don't get me wrong, this is still a top 25 team for sure, but nowhere near the level it was for the past 10 years. I just think it's a down year. Hawaii has never been healthy, not even the first week of the season. Remember even Mason missed some matches because of a sprained ankle. Aside from the players out for the season, Kanoe has a nagging hip injury and is not 100%, Sanders has a leg injury, Shoji has said she's basically been playing on a leg and a half. This was basically the same team as last year that was a top 10 team. If you take out half the starting lineup from ANY team, you can't expect to be as good as before. With hopefully a healthy Hittle, Thomas, and Keefe next year I think they can get back to the top 10 level again. You're a Hawaii fan so you should cross your fingers and hope they get Klineman, because if they do that would make them final four contenders for the next 4 years.
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Post by gstring on Oct 19, 2006 17:44:25 GMT -5
Hawaii's chance of becoming a pwoerhouse again will be better heath and hopefully with the addition of kaaihue and perhaps onteniru the passing and defense will be back to wahine standards.
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Post by IdahoBoy on Oct 19, 2006 17:48:21 GMT -5
News flash: This game ended two days ago.
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Post by Aikea on Oct 19, 2006 17:57:13 GMT -5
Does anyone out there think that Hawaii is on the downward spiral from being a national powerhouse, like LBSU, or is this just a bad year with injuries? I mean, even with everyone healthy, they still were getting their clocks cleaned pretty good by ranked teams, and are clawing and scratching for wins against perceived lower opponents. And before anyone jumps on my a**, I AM a Hawaii fan, and have been all my life (although I live in Seattle now and root for the Huskies just as much). I just have this feeling that the team does not look in that great shape for the next few years. We don't have a real consistent terminator, we lose Kanoe, and everyone else just seems, well, kind of mediocre. Don't get me wrong, this is still a top 25 team for sure, but nowhere near the level it was for the past 10 years. I also think that this is just a down year. Although, when Hawaii passes well, they play pretty darn good. I wouldn't count them out yet. That said, for some reason Hawaii doesn't attract the top 5 recruits in the country but they develop into great players. (Were Kim and Lily top 5 recruits? I don't remember). --Houston has major potential. She just needs to be more consistent. She is averaging more than 5 kills a game this year. --Hittle wasn't the same after her injury last year. Hopefully she will be able to heal and be as good as she was prior to her injury. (Hopefully, 2 more seasons with Tara) --Thomas, the coaches prior to the season were impressed with how much she improved over the summer. But she had an ankle injury at the beginning of the season then had her season ending injury. She has 2 or 3 seasons ahead of her (does she qualify for a medical redshirt?) --Lee is just a freshmen, she is just going to get better and better --Kaufman also a freshmen, but you can see the potential there. --Gregory and Sanders show their ability to terminate when they get a good set. --The recruits for 2007--Simmons, Otineru, and hopefully Klineman shows Hawaii has a good outlook for the future. (I know I'm missing one recruit, I just can't remember right now)
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