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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2014 13:58:40 GMT -5
Once again, Wahine sent off to SeattleBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 01, 2014 JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM Members of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team watched the NCAA tournament selection show inside the Wong Hospitality Room at Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday.Deja vu. All over again. Again. Midway through Sunday's televised NCAA Selection Show, Hawaii volleyball coach Dave Shoji looked at his players and said, "We're going to Seattle." Minutes later, the bracket flashed on the multiple screens in the Wong Hospitality Room. Third-seeded Washington would host New Hampshire in the first round. There was little surprise when, shortly thereafter, the other half of the subregional had Hawaii facing Duke. It will be the first meeting between the two at-large teams: the Rainbow Wahine (21-6), the Big West runner-up, and the Blue Devils (22-7), who tied for third in the ACC. It marks the third time in five years that Hawaii has been shipped to Seattle to open NCAA play. Both times, Washington eliminated Hawaii in the second round, a sweep in 2010 and a five-set heartbreaker in 2012 where the Wahine had match point but couldn't finish. "That was my sophomore year and it was a great game," UH senior middle Kalei Adolpho said of the 2012 match with the Huskies. "It goes right up there with the game against Stanford (a 3-1 win in 2012) and Texas (a 3-1 win that opened the 2013 season). It didn't go our way, but it was a great match. "(Washington) is a great team again, but first we have to look at Duke. As the (UW coach Jim McLaughlin) said, ‘It's one game at a time.' " Hawaii has a good feeling about itself, coming off Saturday's dominating win over UC Davis. The Rainbow Wahine had a balanced attack, as all five starting attackers had six or more kills against the Aggies, served fairly well (5 aces, 8 errors) and passed even better. "The best time to peak is the postseason," junior middle Olivia Magill said. "Saturday showed we're playing as a team. Getting to the postseason is the next step. "(Washington) is a comfortable place to play, but it's going to be a hard place to play. It's a tough bracket." Magill knows from experience how difficult opponents have it when playing the Huskies at home, where UW has won 32 straight. Not only did Magill play there when she was at Arizona the past two years, she is a Seattle native, graduating from Seattle Prep. "I'm going there to play volleyball," she said. "I don't want there to be any other distractions." Also from the area is freshman hitter Megan Huff, who grew up about 25 miles south of the UW campus in Federal Way. "It's going to be a challenge," said Shoji, who has taken the Rainbow Wahine to the postseason in all but one of his 40 years. "Our concern is Duke, who plays in a very good conference. "We played well Saturday, were balanced, the offense was spread out well and that's how we want to be. It was encouraging." While he wasn't looking ahead to Saturday's potential match with Washington, "I did tell the team that we had a swing for the match the last time we were there," Shoji said. "They're pretty similar to how they were back then. They have the best player in the country (reigning national player of the year Krista Vansant, a 6-foot-2 hitter). "We're about as good as we were two years ago, so I'm optimistic. If we can get by Duke, we have a shot." Hawaii is making its 33rd NCAA appearance, having only missed out in 1992. The other Big West team in the field is Long Beach State (26-4), which faces San Diego (19-11) in the subregional at UCLA. The Bruins (20-11), seeded 12th, host LIU Brooklyn in the other first-round match. The Pac-12 had a record 10 teams selected Sunday, with two of the top seeds (No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 Washington) and three of other 12 seeded teams (No. 10 Oregon, No. 11 Arizona and No. 12 UCLA). Nine of the previous 10 champions made the field: Penn State and Stanford (6 titles); UCLA (4); Hawaii, Long Beach State, Nebraska and USC (3); Texas (2); and Washington (1). Only Pacific (2) didn't. The Tigers, who finished second to BYU in the West Coast Conference, saw three teams that finished below them selected in Santa Clara, San Diego and Loyola Marymount. That decision was based on the Rating Percentage Index, where UOP was No. 49 in the RPI released Sunday. Hawaii, which had held at No. 30 for five weeks, dropped to 39 Sunday. NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENTAlaska Airlines Arena at Seattle First roundFriday No. 25 Hawaii (21-6) vs. Duke (22-7), 3 p.m. New Hampshire (20-11) at No. 5 Washington (29-2), 5:30 p.m. Second roundSaturday Friday's winner, 5 p.m.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2014 14:04:21 GMT -5
Wahine NCAA Selection Show
Star-Advertiser
Published on Dec 1, 2014
The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team will play Duke in the NCAA Tournament first round in Seattle. Host Washington will play New Hampshire.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2014 14:23:37 GMT -5
big west all-conference awards just released ... and it's an lbsu sweep of the major awards: hudson (POY), gimmilaro (COY), and murray (FOY). hawaii has 5 players honored: adolpho, magill, olevao, and taylor on the first team, and greeley on the all-frosh team. congrats to all!!www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=18122
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2014 14:27:13 GMT -5
only one setter on the first team, and only 2 setters honored throughout. odd.
anderson from irvine led the league in assists per set, but only honorable mention. probably miller from csun would have been up there, if not for her injury. and maybe higgins (who was 2nd in assists per set in the league), but as we know had consistency issues.
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Post by wahinez4eva on Dec 1, 2014 14:37:05 GMT -5
Will the Hawai'i game be on the Pac 12 Networks?
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2014 14:40:46 GMT -5
Will the Hawai'i game be on the Pac 12 Networks? OC16 will be broadcasting the match. We just have to wait for confirmation.
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Post by wahinez4eva on Dec 1, 2014 14:46:13 GMT -5
Will the Hawai'i game be on the Pac 12 Networks? OC16 will be broadcasting the match. We just have to wait for confirmation. Mahalo....Will be patiently waiting for the confirmation...Go Bows!!!
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2014 15:11:07 GMT -5
Hawaii places 5 on all-Big West volleyball team
Adolpho, Magill, Manu-Olevao, Taylor, Greeley all honored
By Star-Advertiser POSTED: 09:58 a.m. HST, Dec 01, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 10:01 a.m. HST, Dec 01, 2014
Hawaii had four players named to the first team and one on the all-freshman squad on the all-Big West volleyball team announced Monday.
Sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor was named to the first team for the second time in her career while senior middle Kalei Adolpho, junior middle Olivia Magill and junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao picked first-team honors for the first time. Hitter Kalei Greeley was among the seven on the all-freshman team.
Big West champion Long Beach State swept the three top honors. Junir setter Jenelle Hudson was named Player of the Year, middle Ashley Murray Freshman of the Year and Brian Gimmilarro Coach of the Year.
It was the first time since 1994 that a Rainbow Wahine had not been selected the Player of the Year, either winning it outright or sharing the honor.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 2, 2014 14:01:37 GMT -5
Taylor times 2Nikki Taylor makes all-conference first team for the second timeBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 02, 2014 DARRELL MIHO / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Hawaii’s Nikki Taylor was one of only four players to repeat on the Big West first team on Monday.Up in the coaches poll, down in the RPI, five out of seven starters earning Big West honors. It's reflective of Hawaii's somewhat of a roller-coaster volleyball season. The Rainbow Wahine (21-6) opened coach Dave Shoji's birthday week — he turns 68 Thursday — by moving up two spots to No. 23 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25. Hawaii also picked up Big West honors Monday, with four players named to the first team and one on the all-freshman squad. Sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year. She had double-figure kills in five of Hawaii's last six matches, including the program's first triple-double in the rally scoring era against Cal Poly (10 kills, 10 digs, 11 blocks). Named to the first team for the first time were senior middle Kalei Adolpho, junior middle Olivia Magill and junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao. Magill and Adolpho ranked 1-2 in the conference in blocks at 1.36 and 1.32 bps, respectively, and Magill led the Big West in hitting percentage (.416) and Adolpho was sixth (.320). Manu-Olevao led Hawaii in kills (276) and was the league leader in aces per set (0.39). Kalei Greeley was named to the all-freshman team. She ranked third in kills (252) for the Rainbow Wahine while also coming up with 217 digs and 49 blocks while playing in all 27 matches with 24 starts. Big West champion Long Beach State swept the top conference honors. Junior setter Jenelle Hudson was named Player of the Year, middle Ashley Murray the Freshman of the Year and Brian Gimmillaro the Coach of the Year. It was the first time since 1994 that Wahine had not won the Player of the Year award outright or shared it. Hawaii was scheduled to leave Tuesday for Seattle, where the Wahine will face Duke (22-7) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. Host Washington (29-2) take on American East champion New Hampshire (20-11) in Friday's second match. Washington matched its No. 3 tournament seeding with its poll ranking Monday. The Huskies, moving up two spots, handed previously undefeated Stanford its only loss of the season last Wednesday. That loss didn't affect Stanford, which was named the top seed in the NCAA tournament and stayed at No. 1 in the poll. BIG WEST FIRST-TEAM VOLLEYBALLThe conference selected 17 players for its top team: » Long Beach State (5): Jenelle Hudson, Tyler Jackson, Bre Mackie, Chisom Okpala, Alex Reid » Hawaii (4): Kalei Adolpho, Olivia Magill, Tai Manu-Olevao, Nikki Taylor» Cal State Northridge (3): Danetta Boykin, Casey Hinger, Cieana Stinson » UC Irvine (3): Marisa Bubica, Allison Lee, Cassidy Pickrell » UC Santa Barbara (1): Ali Barbeau » UC Davis (1): Kaylin Squyres
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 4, 2014 13:35:28 GMT -5
A Long-lasting goodbye Ginger Long, a junior who decided to forgo her senior year, got to go out in style by taking part in senior night
By Jason Kaneshiro, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 04, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:29 a.m. HST, Dec 04, 2014 JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii outgoing junior Ginger Long celebrated senior night with Kalei Adolpho and Sarah Mendoza on Saturday.Ginger Long didn't fully grasp the significance of match point last Saturday until well after the last lei was draped onto her shoulders. As the celebration following the Hawaii volleyball team's regular-season finale finally began to subside, she was reminded that her match-ending cross-court kill would be her final swing in the Stan Sheriff Center as a college player. "I didn't really think about that until after senior night was over," Long said. "I was like, that's crazy to think of. I'm going to have to come back for alumni game." Classified as a junior, Long might have slipped quietly onto the Rainbow Wahine alumni roster when she decided to leave a year of eligibility on the table and finish out her UH career this month. In doing so, she'd seemingly miss out on one of the program's treasured rites. Instead she was a late addition to the senior night festivities following the Wahine sweep of UC Davis. "Once she made the decision to graduate and not play in the fifth year I really wanted her to have a senior night," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "I just felt like she really deserved to get recognition, giving so much to the program." Long, who redshirted her first year in the program, was honored along with Kalei Adolpho and Sarah Mendoza, giving her the chance to be saluted by the crowd, have lei piled above her ears and, perhaps most important, share the moment with her family. "I'm very grateful the coaches gave me the opportunity even though I have one more year left," Long said. "Senior night is huge here so I think they really didn't want me to miss out. Just being a part of it was awesome. "I grew up watching Wahine volleyball so senior night is always cool." The UH careers of Long, Adolpho and Mendoza will last as long as the Wahine remain alive in the NCAA tournament. UH opens the regional on Friday against Duke at Alaska Airlines Arena. Survive the first round and the Wahine face New Hampshire or host and third-seeded Washington on Saturday. Long was a freshman on the 2012 team that played in the Seattle regional and ended the season with a five-set loss to the Huskies. "Their playing atmosphere is a lot like ours where their fans are really loud and they fill up the arena," said Long, who had a dig and an assist against UW that night. "I still get glimpses of that game where we almost had set point, so for Kalei and I it's still kind of in there." A back-row specialist as a freshman, Long posted 12 kills as an outside hitter last year and started eight matches early this season. But playing time became sporadic as the Wahine settled into a regular rotation. Even so, Shoji said Long's demeanor didn't sour as she turned her focus to helping the first unit prepare. "Once we settled into a lineup and she became a backup player she still practiced hard, she still had good attitude, she did make the A team better," Shoji said. "I'm sure she was disappointed she didn't start but she never let that show. Inside you want to play, but she was just a total team player as far as contributing any way she could." In that regard, Long looked to the examples of previous years. "It was accepting your role and I think a lot of the reason I could do that was because of the seniors last year," Long said. "Some of them like (Kristiana Tuaniga) and Ashley (Kastl) who didn't start but they really accepted their roles. So I kind of look up to them and try to model after them." Long said leaving the program with this year's senior class made the farewell a little sweeter. "It's cool I get to go out with Kalei and with Sarah, she's my roommate and she's one of my closest friends," Long said. Long said she'll focus on her remaining school work as she finishes up her degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on pre-law. But she might not be done with college volleyball just yet. While she plans to sit out the sand volleyball season this spring, she'll have eligibility left for the 2016 season and could rejoin the sand team as a graduate student. "I'm still thinking about that," Long said, "because I think after this semester I might miss volleyball." UPCLOSE / GINGER LONG>> Class: Junior >> Major: Interdisciplinary studies >> Hometown: Kihei, Maui >> High school: Kamehameha-Maui >> Factually speaking: Appeared in 18 matches with eight starts this season. … 45 kills in 185 attempts. … Recorded eight kills in the season opener against Ohio. … Set career highs with nine kills against San Diego State and six blocks against St. John’s … Partnered with Ali Longo and went 32-10 for the UH sand volleyball team in the spring. … Contributed to an upset of No. 1 USC in the AVCA national championship. … Led Kamehameha-Maui to three MIL championships. … Also played soccer until focusing on volleyball after her sophomore year of high school. … Graduates in the spring. >> Video: See the Wahine’s senior night dance on HawaiiWarriorWorld.com
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 4, 2014 13:37:19 GMT -5
Wahine, Duke keep their focusThe winner will likely play No. 3 Washington in the second round, but first they have to get thereBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 04, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:07 a.m. HST, Dec 04, 2014 JAMM AQUINO / NOV. 28 Olivia Magill is one of four Wahine who earned All-Big West honors this season.SEATTLE >> There's an elephant in the room. And it's wearing purple. Neither Hawaii nor Duke wants to talk about it ... yet. But barring a Chaminade-esque upset by New Hampshire in Friday's second first-round match, third-seeded Washington will be riding a 33-match home winning streak into Saturday's second round of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Still, the only given is that it will be either the Rainbow Wahine (21-6) or the Blue Devils (22-7) advancing to Saturday's second round at Alaska Airlines Arena. Friday's opening contest is the only first-round match out of 32 that pits two teams ranked in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 and the only subregional with three ranked teams. Will it be Hawaii, its title dreams and season ending here in 2010 and 2012 in the second round against the host Huskies? The Rainbow Wahine, bringing a five-match win streak across the Pacific, don't have a signature win this season with only four teams they played this year making it into the 64-team field. Hawaii has not beaten any of them, losing to Arizona State 3-0, Oregon 3-2, UCLA 3-0 and Long Beach State 3-2 twice. Or will it be Duke, which has made it to the quarterfinals just twice in 19 tournament appearances, losing 3-0 to Texas in 1993 and 3-1 to Penn State in 2010? The Blue Devils finished tied for third in the ACC with Miami at 14-4, with their first victory over a Top-5 team on Nov. 13 against then-undefeated and No. 3 Florida State. This will be the first meeting between the two teams at a site nearly equidistant from their respective campuses: Honolulu is 2,682 miles away, Durham, N.C., 2,344. Both have been scrambling to get video on each other as much as getting to Seattle in time to acclimatize and practice. "We began to talk about Hawaii and implement some things (Tuesday)," Duke coach Jolene Nagel said. "We've tried to do a good bit of serving because we think that is going to be important. We haven't seen them before so we've begun to run through what they run to familiarize ourselves. "We've gone up against good blocks this season but we'll have to do our best to evaluate Hawaii from the video. We are going to have to get the ball around the block, there is no doubt about that." Hawaii enters the week ranked No. 6 in the country in blocks (3.04 bps), led by all-conference middles Kalei Adolpho (131 blocks) and Olivia Magill (129). The Wahine's focus will be on Duke's pair of all-conference hitters, 6-foot-3 junior Emily Sklar and 5-11 senior Jerrie Obeime, both of whom reached the 1,000-kill mark this season. But the biggest block Hawaii will need to put up is on the painful memory of two years ago, its last appearance in this arena. The Wahine had match-point at 25-24 in Set 4 only to have the Huskies score the last three points winning 27-25. UW went on to win in five. Only three Hawaii players remain from 2012 and only Adolpho played all five sets. New team, old focus: win that first-round match and then likely have to worry about Washington. "We knew we'd be in this situation, playing a really good team in the first round," said Hawaii coach Dave Shoji, who celebrates his 68th birthday Thursday. "We're working on what we need to do against Duke. That's our only focus." A look at the teams: No. 3 Washington (29-2)The Huskies are making their 19th NCAA appearance -- 13th straight -- and are 39-17 with one title (2005). Jim McLaughlin is in his 14th season (353-89 at UW), reaching the national semifinals last season. The Dawgs feature reigning national player of the year, Krista Vansant, who has won every volleyball honor possible except "national champion." Earlier this week, the 6-2 senior was named the Pac-12 player of the year for a second straight season as well as the Pac-12 academic player of the year. She is third in the Pac-12 in kills (4.65 kps) and points (5.30 pps). Named as libero of the year was junior Cassie Strickland, who led the conference in digs (4.07 dps) with 44 aces. Joining her on the first team were senior hitter Kaleigh Nelson and junior middle Lianna Sybeldon. Hitters Crissy Jones and Tia Scambray were on the all-freshmen team. UW finished second to Stanford in the Pac-12, which has an unprecedented 10 teams in the tournament. The Huskies handed the Cardinal their only loss last Wednesday at the Alaska Airlines Arena, a 3-1 victory watched by a conference-record 8,646. Washington's only losses were in five on the same road trip at Colorado and at Utah. The Huskies had opened the season 25-0. No. 21 Duke (22-7)The Blue Devils are making their 19th NCAA appearance, second only to Louisville's 24 among ACC teams, and 12th under coach Jolene Nagel (354-150 in 16 seasons at Duke). They are 13-18 in tournament play. Duke had three players named to the all-ACC first team, including setter of the year, senior Kelsey Williams. Also named were junior hitter Emily Sklar and senior hitter Jerrie Obeime. The Blue Devils lead the country in assists (14.97 aps) and are second in kills (14.97 kps). No. 23 Hawaii (21-6) The Rainbow Wahine are making their 22nd consecutive NCAA appearance -- 33rd overall -- missing out only in 1992. Hawaii is 48-23 in NCAA play with three titles (1982, '83, '87), losing in the second round the past two seasons. The Wahine have won their past five matches and are 9-1 in their past 10, the only loss coming in five to eventual Big West champion Long Beach State. It was the first time Hawaii hadn't won or shared a conference championship since 1994. Senior middle Kalei Adolpho, junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao, junior middle Olivia Magill and sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor were named to the all-Big West first team. Hitter Kalei Greeley was named to the all-freshman team. Coach Dave Shoji is completing his 40th season at Hawaii (1,149-195-1). After becoming the all-time winningest coach last season, he has been surpassed this year by Penn State's Russ Rose (1,155-180). New Hampshire (20-11)The Wildcats won the America East to advance to the NCAA tournament for a second straight year, fifth overall. UNH has yet to win a postseason match. Jill Hirschinger is in her 19th year (305-282). She was part of the great Utah State teams of the 1970s that had quite a rivalry with Hawaii. The Wildcats, winners of 11 straight, won the America East tournament final 3-1 over Albany. Sophomore Demi Muses was named the Most Outstanding Player. Setter Taylor Dunklau was both the conference player and setter of the year, with 3,000 assists for her career and 10 double-doubles this season. Joining her on the first team was junior hitter Tori Forrest, who leads the team in kills (2.97) while right-side hitter Sasha Cucuz was named to the all-rookie team.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 4, 2014 13:38:57 GMT -5
Rainbow Wahine senior night dance
Star-Advertiser Published on Dec 3, 2014 Rainbow Wahine volleyball players showed off their dance moves during senior night festivities.
Rainbow Wahine-Duke preview
Star-Advertiser Published on Dec 3, 2014 The Hawaii women's volleyball team plays Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Seattle.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 5, 2014 13:37:21 GMT -5
Through injury, Taylor kept the faithBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 05, 2014 CINDY LUIS / CLUIS@STARADVERTISER.COM The tattoo on Nikki Taylor’s right biceps is Scottish Gaelic meaning faith.SEATTLE » Tattoos are personal statements. Unlike bumper stickers that can be peeled off and replaced with the cause du jour, tattoos require commitment beyond the permanent ink. That is the case with Nikki Taylor. Hawaii's 6-foot-3 sophomore right-side hitter has several tattoos, each with a very personal and profound meaning, including one that her father Graham and brother Josh both have in the identical place. "Creideamh" is on the underside of the right biceps of the three. It is a Scottish Gaelic word for "faith" and it reflects the family's ethnic heritage and strong Christian beliefs. Rainbow Wahine volleyball fans wouldn't notice it on Nikki Taylor's arm. While it would normally be hidden under a long-sleeve uniform top, this season it is additionally covered with 10-minutes worth of taping by a trainer to protect the still-healing right elbow sprained last summer. It still hurts, Taylor admits, but not as much — physically and emotionally — as when she was sidelined during fall camp and the first seven-plus matches this season. "The was the hardest part for me, feeling so helpless, so incompetent," Taylor said as Hawaii prepared for its NCAA tournament first-round match Friday against No. 21 Duke. "If I saw my team struggling, there was nothing to do about it. "That UCLA game killed me. I got to go in but we were already dug in so deep … it was hard. But my motto is that God doesn't put strongest soldiers to battle what they cannot overcome. I've been put through a hard battle and I've overcome." Originally projected to be out eight weeks with thoughts of redshirting, Taylor returned in less than four, after undergoing extensive and intense treatments including PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) which required Taylor's blood drawn, centrifuged and re-injected into the elbow joint to stimulate tissue healing. "I know it was painful and it was difficult emotionally as her mom (Kim) and I were out of the country watching her brother play," father Graham Taylor said of the trip to watch Josh play for Pepperdine in a volleyball tournament in South Korea. "Despite all the pain and disappointment, Nikki never got discouraged. She was so prepped to come in strong and was probably in the best shape of her life. "She has a unique resiliency that allows her to take adversity and setbacks in stride. It is truly one of her greatest strengths." What has been remarkable about Taylor is her success in a sport she didn't take up until she was 14. She was a swimmer and spent years at Koko Head Stables, riding her horse Buddy. So why volleyball? "Because my brother started playing," Taylor said of Josh, an outside hitter for the Waves. "I was kind of around it all the time. Plus, it was a family tradition. It's how my parents met. Their story is so cute." Graham Taylor had played basketball for Pacific in the 1983 Rainbow Classic, fell in love with Hawaii, and returned the next year for graduate school. He met his future wife while he was playing sand volleyball at Fort DeRussy and she was on vacation. "The volleyball rolled over to my now-wife, I said, ‘hi,' and that was it," he said. Coincidence or not, his daughter found great success when she joined Hawaii's sand team. Nikki Taylor and Katie Spieler went 35-13 as the SandBows finished third nationally and the pair earned All-America honors. "I think the beach game has helped my indoor game, especially setting," Taylor said. "That is not my best skill. I learned a lot more about my abilities because I was forced to produce more." Taylor's collegiate debut came in 2013's season-opening upset of then-No. 1 Texas where she put down 10 kills with six blocks. The season finished with her being named All-Big West first team and all-region honorable mention. Everything pointed to the Rainbow Wahine's offense being built around Taylor, who had finished second in kills behind senior All-American Emily Hartong. The 19-year-old is nearly back to 100 percent and so is that plan. She's taking more swings and staying in the back row to serve, resulting in 2.93 kills per set, second to junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao's 3.17. The Kaiser High product also recorded the program's first triple-double in the rally scoring era with 10 kills, 10 digs and 11 blocks against Cal Poly. Taylor again was named first-team All-Big West earlier this week. "Nikki has slowly progressed to where we envisioned she would be at the start of the year," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "She is so physical. She can just get kills because she's bigger and stronger than the person across the net. "We know being out was really hard for her, hard for her to connect with the team. There was a separation that the team has done a good job of bringing her back into the fold." Wahine fans have noticed Taylor rubbing her taped arm after plays. She said it is a way to help loosen the tendons that occasionally cramp up or to smooth out the tapes; the trainer uses three types. It's also a subconscious way to connect with her tattoo, a touchstone for staying strong and having faith. NCAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPAlaska Airlines Arena, Seattle FIRST ROUND » FRIDAY» No. 21 Duke (22-7) vs. No. 23 Hawaii (21-6), 3 p.m. » New Hampshire (20-11) vs. No. 3 Washington (29-2), to follow SECOND ROUND » SATURDAY» Friday's winners, 5:30 p.m. » TV: OC Sports (Hawaii's first-round match) and Pac12 network (Washington matches) » Radio: KKEA 1420-AM (Hawaii matches)
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 6, 2014 1:42:47 GMT -5
Hawaii sweeps Duke in NCAA volleyball first roundNo. 23 Rainbow Wahine dominate the No. 21 Blue DevilsBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 04:40 p.m. HST, Dec 05, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 06:26 p.m. HST, Dec 05, 2014 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Rainbow Wahine players celebrated their victory over Duke on Saturday in Seattle.No. 23 Hawaii swept No. 21 Duke 25-15, 25-19, 25-17 Friday in a NCAA women's volleyball tournament first-round match in Seattle. The Rainbow Wahine (22-6) will face No. 3 Washington in Saturday's second round. The Huskies (30-2) had little problem in sweeping New Hampshire 25-9, 25-6, 25-18. It will be the third time in five years Hawaii and Washington will meet in the second round, both on the Huskies' home court. Washington swept Hawaii 3-0 in 2010 and eked out a 3-2 win in 2012. Sophomore Nikki Taylor and junior middle Olivia Magill each had 10 kills and Hawaii outblocked Duke 11.4-5. Senior libero Sarah Mendoza had 17 of the team's 53 digs. Junior hitter Ginger Long replaced injured freshman hitter Kalei Greeley midway through Set 1. At 18-10, Greeley apparently rolled her right ankle when diving for a ball and never returned. Long, who announced last week she would be retiring after this season, finished with six kills, eight digs and four blocks, including two solo. Emily Sklar led the Blue Devils (22-8) with 11 kills. Libero Sasha Karelov had 13 of the team's 40 digs. Duke came into the match second nationally in kills per set (14.9), first in assists per set. (14.18) The Blue Devils had 29 kills and 28 assists. Hawaii needed 94 minutes in dispatching Duke. The Rainbow Wahine are now 15-0 when winning Set 1.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 6, 2014 13:52:29 GMT -5
Wahine wallop DukeBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:01 a.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Kalei Adolpho hit against Duke’s Jeme Obeime, left, and Alyse Whitaker. Adolpho finished with five kills, hitting .500 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Nikki Taylor, left, Olivia Magill and Tai Manu-Olevao put up a triple block. Hawaii had 11 1⁄2 blocks, compared to Duke’s four.JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER UH volleyball players celebrated their victory Friday.SEATTLE » As complicated as volleyball can become, it still comes down to the basics: serve and pass. Tough serving takes an opponent out of system, sharp passing keeps a team in system. That was No. 23 Hawaii's game plan for No. 21 Duke on Friday night in an NCAA first-round match at the Alaska Airlines Arena. The Rainbow Wahine followed it to a "T" ... or rather a "W," dispatching the Blue Devils in 94 minutes, 25-15, 25-19, 25-17. Hawaii's reward for one of its best defensive matches of the season? No. 3 Washington. In the second round. Again. For the third time in five years, the Rainbow Wahine will face the host Huskies. Washington wasted little time in winning its 33rd straight home match, taking 73 minutes to eliminate overmatched New Hampshire 25-9, 25-6, 25-18. "They are a great team, but what gives us hope is that they have lost twice in the last couple of weeks and they have some injuries," Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "That gives us hope. "(Krista) Vansant is obviously the best player in the country, so we have to find a way to slow her down. I like our chances." Nationally, few gave Hawaii a chance at beating Duke, which led the country in assists per set and was second in kills per set. But Hawaii's pressure serving and imposing block — tied for fifth nationally — prevented Duke setter Kelsey Williams from getting her offense into any sort of rhythm. The Blue Devils ended their season hitting .050. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Wahine's passing allowed sophomore setter Tayler Higgins to run a diverse offense, with five attackers with at least five kills. Sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor and junior Olivia Magill led the way with 10 kills each, with Magill's lone hitting error coming early in Set 1. Junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao finished with eight kills — her only error coming midway in Set 3 — and senior libero Sarah Mendoza had 17 of Hawaii's 53 digs. The Wahine outblocked the Blue Devils 11 1/2 -4, led by Magill's five. The story of the match might have been junior Ginger Long, who replaced injured freshman starter Kalei Greeley at 18-11 in Set 1. Greeley rolled her right ankle diving for a ball near the left-side stanchion. It was the same ankle she injured in the first week of fall camp. Long more than filled in for Greeley, finishing with six kills, eight digs and four blocks, including two solo. "Our trainers thought (Greeley) could go back in, but Ginger was playing great so there was no need," Shoji said. "We hope (Kalei) can play tomorrow. We'll know more tomorrow." Hawaii has little time to savor its first win over a Top 25 team in six attempts. Washington coach Jim McLaughlin was beginning his prep for Hawaii during the press conference, downloading video on his laptop during the post-match interview. Asked if it was too early to think about Hawaii, he pointed to his computer screen and said, "No. I'm downloading now. "They're good. Dave is great coach, Hawaii is well coached and it will be a challenge." Hawaii will have a tall order trying to slow down the 6-foot-2 Vansant, the reigning national player of the year, the Pac-12 player of the year and academic player of the year. She led the Huskies with 16 kills with one error and added 11 digs against the Wildcats (20-12). "This is the match we wanted," UH associate coach Scott Wong said. "We're going to have to play our best match of the year. The pressure is on them, playing at home. "We've seen a lot of video on them. They aren't much different from the team we played (in 2012), but our team is very different. I looked at the roster and very few of our players were in that match." Indeed, only senior middle Kalei Adolpho played all five sets in the match where Hawaii had a swing to end it in four but instead lost in five. Both Long and Manu-Olevao played, but sparingly. Magill, who played against Washington four times during her two years at Arizona, was ready to see the Huskies again. She first played in the Alaska Airlines Arena when she was 13, during club season, and was looking forward to Saturday. "I know they are really well coached," said Magill, who grew up in the Seattle area and was playing in front of dozens of family and friends. "They are a really good blocking team. But they also have a lot of pressure on them when hosting. "We just need to be ready." Washington is expected to be without junior setter Katy Beals, who was injured late in the Nov. 28 sweep of Washington State, a match where she passed the 2,000-assist career mark. The Huskies, who run a 6-2 offense with two setters, went with two redshirt freshmen Friday with normal starter Bailey Tanner and Jade Finau, the latter playing in just 15 sets coming into the match with New Hampshire. NoteHawaii was able to send part of its band and six cheerleaders to the subregional. Band director Gwen Nakamura said the band was able to borrow tubas and percussion instruments from Washington. The trip was made possible through a donation from Albert Kano, who covered the airfare and hotel expenses. NCAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPAt Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle FIRST ROUND FRIDAY>> No. 23 Hawaii def. No. 21 Duke, 25-15, 25-19, 25-17 >> No. 3 Washington def. New Hampshire, 25-9, 25-6, 25-18 SECOND ROUND SATURDAY>> Hawaii vs. Washington (30-2), 5:30 p.m. TV: Pac-12 Network Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM Online: ESPN3.com
Full Photo Gallery here, by JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER.
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